Chartres Cathedral

Whle in France I saw many beautiful sights and many amazing feats of architecture but nothing quite compared to Chartres Cathedral. Chartes is one of my Dad's favorite places in France and I was under direct orders to make sure I didn't miss seeing it. It definitely lived up to my high expectations, maybe even exceeding them.



Located about an hour from Paris Matt and I headed out on a Monday morning and were very happy to find an almost empty cathedral. After the hordes of tourists at Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral, it was nice to have the place almost to our selves.

Chartres is one of the worlds finest gothic cathedrals and is impressive for many reasons. It's vast size, its two towers built in different eras (one dating to 1140 and the other built in the 16th century) in different styles, the insane amount of detail on the interior and exterior walls, and of course the gorgeous 12th century windows(152 of the 186 windows are still originals). The immense detail of the archway as you enter the Cathedral is the first of many indications that you are someplace where artistic style and detail are everywhere.





Upon first entering the Cathedral it feels very dark, but as your eyes adjust it becomes a world of contrast, light dark and shadows. It was really a photographers dream.







Chartres contains 3 rose windows and my favorite was this one facing west. The one facing south was too difficult to photograph due to direct sun and I didn't find the eastern facing rose window as impressive.





After a good long time in the Cathedral. Matt and I decide to go outside and see the flying buttresses and exterior of the Cathedral. The buttresses are simply massive and it is amazing to me that in the 12th Century people could figure out how to build such a massive and beautiful structure. I'm not sure what it took to get this building made but it must have been an immense effort. Once again pictures do not do it justice.











After a quick break for lunch Matt and I decided that it was necessary to get another look inside before our train back to Paris. This time I was trying to get some wider views of the Cathedral and more detail of the stained glass. Not everything turned out but I got a few decent shots.







I loved how these candles looked in the darkness of the Cathedral.



The amount of detail in the stained glass was flabbergasting. I really can't even begin to imagine how long they took to make.



Everything about Chartres was amazing and I obviously recommend going there the next time you are in France.