When did Chartres Cathedral catch on fire?
1194In 1194, however, the entire building – with the exception of the crypt and the façade – was destroyed by fire. Construction work began on the Gothic cathedral, measuring 130 metres in length, soon after. The original floor included a labyrinth in the nave.
What survived the great fire at Chartres in the 1194 ad fire?
On the night of 10 June 1194, another major fire devastated the cathedral. Only the crypt, the towers, and the new facade survived.
Why is Chartres Cathedral so special?
Generally ranked as one of the three chief examples of Gothic French architecture (along with Amiens Cathedral and Reims Cathedral), it is noted not only for its architectural innovations but also for its numerous sculptures and its much-celebrated stained glass.
What relic was kept inside the Chartres Cathedral?
the Sancta CamisiaIt was at this time that the cathedral received its most famous holy relic, the Sancta Camisia, a cloth thought to have been worn by Mary when she gave birth to Jesus Christ. Given by Charles the Bald, a grandson of Charlemagne, the relic is still housed today in the cathedral's treasury.
Why is there a labyrinth in Chartres?
The Chartres Labyrinth was almost certainly built in the early 13th century and became a symbol for pilgrims, who walk the labyrinth as part of their pilgrimage. (This site holds particular significance as the Chartres Cathedral is the home of the tunic worn by the Virgin Mary at Christ's birth).
What famous landmark was destroyed by the great fire?
Many of the City of London's most iconic buildings were consumed: St Paul's Cathedral, the Royal Exchange, Newgate Prison, Christ's Hospital, even Whittington's Longhouse, one of the biggest public toilets in Europe, in the Vintry.
Can you walk the labyrinth at Chartres?
Walking Chartres Cathedral Labyrinth The labyrinth is not available for walking all the time. The ranks of chairs which cover the most part of the labyrinth will give you the difficulty to trace the pathway. There are the moments when the labyrinth is free from the chairs so visitors could walk the labyrinth.
What does Chartres mean in French?
French Chartres, from Latin Carnūtēs, name of a Gaulish tribe, from a Celtic root for “rock, stone”.
How do you say Chartres in French?
0:051:00How To Say Chartres - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipZhang santa sanz zhang zhang yang.MoreZhang santa sanz zhang zhang yang.
Why did the Virgin Mary wear a veil?
In Judaism, Christianity, and Islam the concept of covering the head is or was associated with propriety and modesty. Most traditional depictions of the Virgin Mary, the mother of Christ, show her veiled.
Where is the veil of the Virgin Mary?
According to some, the 6m-long veil worn by the Blessed Virgin Mary, ended up in Constantinople - modern day Istanbul. It was then given to the Emperor Charlemagne in 876 AD by the Byzantine Empress Irene, and is now kept in the cathedral in Chartres in France.
What is so remarkable about the Chartres Cathedral's stained glass?
What is so remarkable about the Chartres Cathedral's stained glass? Of the 176 windows, it is remarkable considering all the damage they could have due to natural wear, wars and other elements.
How did people escape the great fire?
He recommended to the King that buildings were pulled down – many thought it was the only way to stop the fire. The Mayor was ordered to use fire hooks to pull-down burning buildings but the fire continued to spread. People forced to evacuate their homes chose to bury or hide what valuables they couldn't carry.
How did London recover from the great fire?
London was rebuilt largely according to the old street-plan, with some roads widened and alleyways removed.
How many people were left homeless after the great fire?
The Great Fire of London is one of the most well-known disasters in London's history. It began on 2 September 1666 and lasted just under five days. One-third of London was destroyed and about 100,000 people were made homeless.
How many people died in the great fire?
sixOn Sunday, September 2, 1666, London caught on fire. The city burned through Wednesday, and the fire—now known as The Great Fire of London—destroyed the homes of 70,000 out of the 80,000 inhabitants of the city. But for all that fire, the traditional death toll reported is extraordinarily low: just six verified deaths.
When was Chartres Cathedral built?
During your tour of the cathedral, you will be surprised by the extraordinary architectural unity of the building. Built and decorated between 1134 and 1260, registered by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, it is the most complete and best preserved of the Gothic cathedrals.
What happened to the Romanesque Cathedral?
The Romanesque cathedral. On September 7, 1020, a fire destroyed the cathedral. Bishop Fulbert built a vast new structure, of which the principal crypt (1020 - 1024) remains today. In September 1134, a large part of the city was devastated by a fire which nonetheless spared the cathedral.
What happened to the Gothic Cathedral in 1194?
The Gothic cathedral. In June 1194 a fire ravaged the previous building, destroying the framework and leaving only the crypt and part of the western façade intact. After believing the holy relic lost, it was found, as Priests saved it by hiding it in the crypt during the conflagration.
When was the Jube demolished?
The jube (the screen between the choir and the nave) was demolished in the 18 th century and shortly afterwards the choir was completely redecorated. The marble statue of the Assumption was added at that time.
Who bequeathed the veil of the Virgin to Chartres?
Of this edifice of the 9th century remains the crypt of Saint-Lubin. In 876, Charles le Chauve bequeathed the relic of the veil of the Virgin, and thereby consecrated Chartres as a great center for pilgrimage.
When was the Vendôme Chapel added to the nave?
In the 14 th century , the Saint-Piat chapel was added to the nave and the 15 th century, the Vendôme chapel was added to the southern aisle. The northern bell tower, in a flamboyant style, was built in the 16 th century.
When was the North Tower built?
The construction of the facade was completed towards 1150, the south tower towards 1170.
Where is Chartres Cathedral?
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, and is the seat of the Bishop of Chartres. Mostly constructed between 1194 and 1220, it stands at the site of at least five cathedrals ...
What did the Americans believe about Chartres Cathedral?
The Americans believed that Chartres Cathedral was being used by the enemy. The belief was that the steeples and towers were being used as a range for artillery. Griffith, accompanied by a volunteer soldier, instead decided to go and verify whether or not the Germans were using the cathedral.
How many windows are there in Chartres Cathedral?
One of the most distinctive features of Chartres Cathedral is the stained glass, both for its quantity and quality. There are 167 windows, including rose windows, round oculi, and tall, pointed lancet windows. The architecture of the cathedral, with its innovative combination of rib vaults and flying buttresses, permitted the construction of much higher and thinner walls, particularly at the top clerestory level, allowing more and larger windows. Also, Chartres contains fewer plain or grisaille windows than later cathedrals, and more windows with densely stained glass panels, making the interior of Chartres darker but the colour of the light deeper and richer.
How many portals are there in the Cathedral of Chartres?
The cathedral has three great portals or entrances, opening into the nave from the west and into the transepts from north and south. The portals are richly decorated with sculptures, which rendered biblical stories and theological ideas visible for both the educated clergy and layfolk who may not have had access to textual learning. Each of the three portals on the west facade (made 1145-55) focuses on a different aspect of Christ's role in the world; on the right, his earthly Incarnation, on the left, his Ascension or his existence before his Incarnation (the era "ante legem"), and, in the center, his Second Coming, initiating the End of Time. The statuary of the Chartres portals is considered among the finest existing Gothic sculpture.
What is the cathedral in Tours?
The cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of Chartres of the Diocese of Chartres. The diocese is part of the ecclesiastical province of Tours .
How did the French destroy Notre Dame?
The local Revolutionary Committee decided to destroy the cathedral via explosives and asked a local architect to find the best place to set the explosions. He saved the building by pointing out that the vast amount of rubble from the demolished building would so clog the streets it would take years to clear away. The cathedral, like Notre Dame de Paris and other major cathedrals, became the property of the French State and worship was halted until the time of Napoleon, but it was not further damaged.
What happened to the second church in the city of Saint Lubin?
The second church on the site was set on fire by Danish pirates in 858. This was then reconstructed and enlarged by Bishop Gislebert, but was itself destroyed by fire in 1020. A vestige of this church, now known as Saint Lubin Chapel, remains, underneath the apse of the present cathedral.
How many stained glass windows are there in Chartres Cathedral?
Chartres Cathedral contains 176 stained-glass windows, the feature for which it may be best known. Like the sculpture, the stained glass was intended to be educational. The five windows of the choir hemicycle (a semicircular arrangement) relate in various ways to the Virgin Mary.
What are the sculptures in the Cathedral?
The cathedral contains an immense amount of sculpture, particularly figure sculpture, ranging from large column statues to miniatures. As the purpose of the sculptures was to preach and instruct, they mainly depict scenes and figures from the Old and New Testaments. The sculptures from the Royal Portal were executed about mid-12th century and reveal the Gothic era’s growing interest in naturalism. This is evident in the kings and queens that decorate the jambs. Their bodies are elongated, echoing the form of the columns to which they are attached, yet they have benevolent expressions distinct from the neutral gaze of Romanesque figures. Meanwhile, the sculptures of the south transept, constructed after 1194, are even more expressive. The figures of saints that decorate the jambs of the right doorway (Porch of the Confessors, c. 1220–30) have individual facial features that sometimes communicate with their neighbours. Notably, Saint Theodore (from the Porch of the Martyrs, c. 1230) is more fully in the round, practically detached from the architecture, and more dynamic, with swaying hips and shoulders that recall the contrapposto pose that ancient Greek sculptors had perfected.
What are some examples of Gothic architecture?
Generally ranked as one of the three chief examples of Gothic French architecture (along with Amiens Cathedral and Reims Cathedral ), it is noted not only for its architectural innovations but also for its numerous sculptures and its much-celebrated stained glass.
What is the cathedral's purpose?
As the purpose of the sculptures was to preach and instruct, they mainly depict scenes and figures from the Old and New Testaments.
What is the oldest part of the Laon Cathedral?
The oldest parts of the cathedral are its crypt and the west portal, or Royal Portal, which are remnants of a Romanesque church that was mostly destroyed by fire in 1194. The present cathedral was constructed on the foundations of the earlier church and consecrated in 1260. It is built of limestone and stands some 112 feet (34 metres) high and is 427 feet (130 metres) long. In many ways, the cathedral’s design resembles those of its contemporaries, especially Laon Cathedral, but it displays innovations with its tall arcades, unusually narrow triforium, and huge clerestory —the massive weight of which required using flying buttresses in an unprecedented manner.
Where is Notre-Dame de Chartres?
Chartres Cathedral, also called Notre-Dame d’Chartres or the Cathedral of Notre-Dame, Gothic cathedral located in the town of Chartres, northwestern France. Generally ranked as one of the three chief examples of Gothic French architecture (along with Amiens Cathedral and Reims Cathedral ), ...
Which saint is more fully in the round?
Notably, Saint Theodore (from the Porch of the Martyrs, c. 1230) is more fully in the round, practically detached from the architecture, and more dynamic, with swaying hips and shoulders that recall the contrapposto pose that ancient Greek sculptors had perfected. Chartres Cathedral.
Who took the pictures of Chartres Cathedral?
Alexander Gorlin has taken the following images of the interior Chartres Cathedral
What is Chartres Cathedral?
Chartres Cathedral is one of the most important of these sacred places, however its interior is in mortal danger of dissolving into a pale, kitsch version of its former sublime self. In the name of a “restoration” to what is claimed to be the original 13th century interior, the gray stones are literally being painted in white lime wash and beige paint with faux stone joint lines; erasing all traces of the past. This is cultural vandalism of the lowest order, on par with the Taliban’s demolition of the Bamiyan Buddhas in Afghanistan in 2001.
What color is Chartres?
Old age is so outré, who knew Chartres could be chic, now camera ready for fashion runway shows down the central aisle. The color scheme of white and gold beige is remarkably similar to Ian Schrager's new Edition Hotel in Miami Beach, so au courant.
Can the interior of Chartres be recreated?
The idea that the 13th century interior of Chartres can be recreated is so totally absurd as to be laughable if it were not happening right now. As Martin Filler has observed, there are bright electric up lights at the top of the columns shining on the vaults above ( http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2014/dec/14/scandalous-makeover-chartres/ ). These are not the candles, nor the daylight that filtered through the colored stained glass, changing as the clouds passed in front of the sun, nor day turning to night, but a crude 21st century lighting scheme.
What year did the cathedral in Orléans burn?
According to the 11th-century chronicler Ralph Glaber, terrible signs and portents occurred in the year 988, pointing to something terrible on the horizon. An icon of the crucifixion miraculously wept and a wolf burst into the cathedral, seized the bell-rope, and rang the church bells. These fears came to life when a fire swept through the city and the church burned to the ground the following year. There was little that could be done. The citizens could only watch.
When did the Notre-Dame Cathedral fire?
Flames and smoke rise from a fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on April 15. A massive fire ripped through the cathedral in central Paris, toppling the spire of the 850-year-old Gothic structure and leaving France in shock over the potential loss of one of the nation's most famous landmarks. (Martin Barzilai/Bloomberg News)
What was the scourge of medieval cathedrals?
Fire was the scourge of medieval cathedrals. But they rebuilt from the ashes. - The Washington Post
Did medieval buildings burn?
Perhaps what’s most surprising, though, is that it didn’t burn sooner. Simply put, medieval structures caught fire almost as a matter of course. The majority of Notre Dame’s exterior may be stone, but the roof was wood, as were those of most European structures from the era. In Notre Dame’s case, each beam was carved from a different tree, a feat so spectacular that the interlocking network of beams was nicknamed “the forest.” And wood burns. Medieval churches burned. The cathedral at Canterbury in England caught fire in 1174 when a nearby house fire jumped structures. In Mainz, Germany, the candles used to illuminate the city’s new cathedral accidentally brought the structure to the ground on the very day of its consecration in 1015. The cathedral at Chartres was heavily damaged by fire in 1194 and an inferno allegedly killed about 1,000 people at Vézelay in 1120.
The Time of The First Cathedrals
The Romanesque Cathedral
- On September 7, 1020, a fire destroyed the cathedral. Bishop Fulbert built a vast new structure, of which the principal crypt (1020 - 1024) remains today. In September 1134, a large part of the city was devastated by a fire which nonetheless spared the cathedral. The houses that were destroyed in front of the structure opened up the possibility of ...
The Gothic Cathedral
- In June 1194 a fire ravaged the previous building, destroying the framework and leaving only the crypt and part of the western façade intact. After believing the holy relic lost, it was found, as Priests saved it by hiding it in the crypt during the conflagration. Bishop Renaud de Mousson, the first cousin of king Philippe Auguste, decided to undertake an exceptional rebuilding project usin…
from The 18th to The 19th Centuries
- The jube (the screen between the choir and the nave) was demolished in the 18thcentury and shortly afterwards the choir was completely redecorated. The marble statue of the Assumption was added at that time. In June 1836, a fire destroyed the wooden framework and the roof lead. The framework was replaced by an iron frame and covered in copper, which quickly obtained its …
Overview
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, and is the seat of the Bishop of Chartres. Mostly constructed between 1194 and 1220, it stands at the site of at least five cathedrals that have occupied the site since the Diocese of Chartres was formed as an episcopal see in the 4th century. It is in the High Gothic and Romane…
The towers and clock
• The Flamboyant Gothic North Tower (finished 1513) (left) and older South Tower (1144–1150) (right)
• Detail of the South Tower
• Detail of the Flamboyant Gothic North Tower
History
At least five cathedrals have stood on this site, each replacing an earlier building damaged by war or fire. The first church dated from no later than the 4th century and was located at the base of a Gallo-Roman wall; this was put to the torch in 743 on the orders of the Duke of Aquitaine. The second church on the site was set on fire by Danish pirates in 858. This was then reconstructed and enlarged …
Timeline
• 743 - First mention of a cathedral in Chartres in a text
• c. 876 - Charles the Bald gives the cathedral an important sacred relic, the veil of the Virgin, making it an important pilgrimage destination.
• 1020 - Fire damages cathedral. Bishop Fulbert begins reconstruction.
Description
• Length: 130 metres (430 ft)
• Width: 32 metres (105 ft) / 46 metres (151 ft)
• Nave: height 37 metres (121 ft); width 16.4 metres (54 ft)
• Ground area: 10,875 square metres (117,060 sq ft)
The Portals and their sculpture
The cathedral has three great portals or entrances, opening into the nave from the west and into the transepts from north and south. The portals are richly decorated with sculptures, which rendered biblical stories and theological ideas visible for both the educated clergy and layfolk who may not have had access to textual learning. Each of the three portals on the west facade (made 1145-55) f…
Angels and monsters
• Angel with a sundial on south facade
• Gargoyle on the North Tower, serving as a rain spout
• Detail of the South Tower, with statuary of Chimeras
• Detail on the South Portal depicting angels looking down upon hell
Nave and ambulatory
• Notre Dame de Piliers statue and chapel off the nave
• Fragment of a reputed veil of Virgin Mary, displayed in the Chapel of the Martyrs
The nave, or main space for the congregation, was designed especially to receive pilgrims, who would often sleep in the church. The floor is slightly tilte…