With this post, I conclude the series of photos from the city of Chartres in France, with pictures of the Cathedral of Notre Dame and its stained glasses.
If you want to check the series in my previous posts, I have shared the many Faces of Chartres at I, II, III and IV.
Chartres Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres (French: Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres), is a Roman Catholic church in Chartres, France, about 80 km (50 miles) southwest of Paris. Mostly constructed between 1194 and 1220, it stands at the site of at least five cathedrals that have occupied the site since Chartres became a bishopric in the 4th century. It is in the Gothic and Romanesque styles.
It is designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, which calls it “the high point of French Gothic art” and a “masterpiece”.[2]
The cathedral has been well preserved. The majority of the original stained glass windows survive intact, while the architecture has seen only minor changes since the early 13th century. The building’s exterior is dominated by travellers flying buttresses which allowed the architects to increase the window size significantly, while the west end is dominated by two contrasting spires – a 105-metre (349 ft) plain pyramid completed around 1160 and a 113-metre (377 ft) early 16th-century Flamboyant spire on top of an older tower. Equally notable are the three great façades, each adorned with hundreds of sculpted figures illustrating key theological themes and narratives.
Since at least the 12th century the cathedral has been an important destination for travellers. It remains so to the present, attracting large numbers of Christian pilgrims, many of whom come to venerate its famous relic, the Sancta Camisa, said to be the tunic worn by the Virgin Mary at Christ’s birth, as well as large numbers of secular tourists who come to admire the cathedral’s architecture and historical merit.
Source: Wikipedia
The stained glass windows
The light on the Cathedral is just superb Lucile, such gorgeous photos!
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Thanks, Debbie, it was amazing to be there exactly at the golden hour.
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What beautiful golden light you’ve captured! Stunning posts.
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Thanks, my lovely.
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If I hadn’t seen the contrast with the part of the church that is not in the sun, I would have thought it was built out of a spectacularly rosy stone! What a beautiful time of day to capture the cathedral.
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Yes, Lex, you captured exactly what I felt, as it looked like a rosy stone. I loved to be there and to capture the golden light.
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The stained glass is glorious, Lucile. Thanks for sharing these lovely shots.
janet
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Janet, it is my pleasure to share the shots, and I am grateful that you appreciated them.
Lucile
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