Chartres, France

On Thursday we decided to take an overnight trip to the city of Chartres, 70 km from Paris. Chartres is famous for its incredible cathedral, and we knew it was a must-see before our time in France is over. We were pleasantly surprised to find that Chartres is a beautiful city with a medieval feel, and that the cathedral really is breathtaking. After an incredible meal (3 courses each and a bottle of wine for a grand total of 65 euros!), we had a good night's sleep and spent all of Friday exploring the city.

First, we discovered an ongoing archaeological dig discovering the medieval city walls of Chartres.

 This poster was displayed to show what the city walls used to look like.

One of the oldest houses in Chartres

Just behind the cathedral, which we explored before entering, was this beautiful garden maze. Once inside the cathedral, we realized that this labrynth mimics the labrynth design on the floor of the church, which is much more intricate and detailed.

The back of the cathedral is just as impressive as the front, and is not covered in scaffolding as the front is. Because of the scaffolding, I'm including a photo from another source.

http://www.alltravellerinfo.com/chartres-cathedral/

Once inside, we took a guided tour with a wonderful guide named Malcolm Miller. This is his 52nd year of giving tours of this Cathedral and he certainly kept us entertained and interested in the incredible history.

A few facts we learned on our tour:

*There are over 100 cathedrals named Notre Dame in France, including this one.

*Cathedrals named Notre Dame are dedicated to Mary, the mother of Jesus. Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris was originally dedicated to St. Stephen, which is why the Sancta Camisa, an ancient relic of Mary's clothing worn during the birth of Jesus was given to this church instead of the cathedral in Paris.

*This is the 5th version of the cathedral of Notre Dame de Chartres. Others burned down or were added onto to create this incredible masterpiece of architecture.

*This cathedral has been a pilgrimage site since the late 12th century. Because of the ever-increasing numbers of pilgrims coming to Chartres, the cathedral was continually expanded. For later pilgrims walking to Chartres, once the higher spires were added, the cathedral could be seen from 40 km away due to its size.

*Chartres has the largest collection of Medieval stained-glass windows in Europe.

*Many of the original stained-glass windows were destroyed in a fire, and fund-raising was done so that the beautiful windows could be replaced. Many different groups of laborers donated money, and each group's donation is represented on the windows. Each window also tells a different story from the Bible.

*As soon as World War II was declared, the windows were removed from this cathedral and put on a train to the Dordogne region of France for protection.

The Sancta Camisa, or a piece of Virgin Mary's clothing

Chartres, itself, is a beautiful little city. It's filled with charming pedestrian streets and tons of restaurants and cafes.

And a view of the cathedral at night is not to be missed.