The town of Chartres is charming, with the Cathedral as its main attraction. While the town itself is modern in many ways, the precinct around the Cathedral has a more old world feel except for the combination modern toilettes and souvenir shop on the south side of the cathedral. We were supposed to meet an American who has lived in France for 50 years at noon for a tour of the Cathedral. Carl had set up the tour a couple of months ago as he was finalizing our schedule. He didn't show, so we rented an audio guide. (I would hate to be the tour guide once Carl makes it back home. He should be expecting a call.)
Chartres is about the same age as Notre Dame, but looks much older because it is not as well preserved. After Notre Dame, though, Chartres seemed intimate in a wonderful way. The Cathedral is famed for its stained glass, much of which is original to the building. I'm not posting many pictures of it here, but each of the professions gifted windows to the church: the water-bearers, the wine merchants, etc.
Jordan did not get a shot of the front of the cathedral because much of it was covered with netting and wood as it undergoes restoration.
The North (and newer) Tower of the Cathedral
Mary holding Jesus, Flanked by Angels
Carving on the Pediment of the Cathedral
The South Tower of the Cathedral
The Stained-Glass in the East Facade
Above the Altar
Our Lady on the Pillar
(Irreverently called Our Lady Mary Barbie by someone in our party who shall remain nameless. She was awarded this moniker because, as you can see, she has costumes that can be changed.)
Detail from one of the external columns. One of the characteristics of the church is the incredible amount of carved decoration, particularly small carvings, some of which you will see in pictures below.
External view of the South Rose Window with a porch in the foreground.
A View of the South Portico.
In this picture you can see some of the incredible amount of detailed carving.
Exterior View of the South Rose Window
This tower is not part of the church, but is an example of some of the old world architecture in the vicinity of the Cathedral
The Central Portal of the South Porch.
This portal is flanked by two additional portals, each as intricate.
Detail from one of the pillars. This section is only about a foot tall, which gives you some indication of the amount of detail on the North and South porches.
South Rose Window
North Rose Window
Massive Cross at the end of the South Ambulatory.
Detail of a Column Pediment
For the members of my Southern Fiction Seminar... Just wanted you to know that I found Flannery O'Connor's Cathedral in France. This Peacock is part of a huge embroidered rug that covers the floor of the altar.
One of the most amazing things to me about the Cathedral was the smoothness of the stones from years of wear.
This feature of the Cathedral, some type of celestial clock, was not part of our audio tour. Would have loved the opportunity to ask what it is. It seemed to have 48 or more digits/symbols on its face.
Flying Butresses
Very different from those at Notre Dame. These are massive; the ones at Notre Dame are delicate by comparison.
External View of the South Rose Window
Another view of the South Tower
On Wednesday night, we saw the most incredible production of *Sweeny Todd* at Chatelet, the Theatre Musical de Paris. This production might possibly be the most incredible theatre experience I have ever had. I'll talk more about it in a later post.
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