Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres

Chartres cathedral is so many things wrapped into one. It was a medieval urban center, a center of faith as well as education. It is a survivor of pillaging, flames, and wars. And, like the other French cathedrals, Chartres is a work of art. Stained glass windows abound, sculpture wraps its edifice, both telling their stories in illustration rather than the written word. Within its walls, professors taught those affluent enough to afford an education. Chartres literally defined the cathedral as an urban phenomena. The cathedral was the heart and soul of the city.

Chartres boasts the world's largest surviving collection of medieval stained glass; 150 windows, some dating back to the 13th century. Each pane crafted and painted by hand, colors carefully chosen and fabricated by artisans of the middle ages. Each one telling its own story. In a time when the written word couldn't be understood by many, these windows would educate, encourage prayer and meditation upon God's word, as well as give hope to those who viewed them. The heaven-like atmosphere of the cathedral gave respite to the weary through the beauty of the light-filled space, just as Abbot Suger had planned.

L-r; Melchizedek, Abraham with his son Isaac, Moses, Aaron King David, from the left splay of the central bay of the North Portal, built 1198-1217

The sculpture and statuary that grace the facade of Chartres also presents an opportunity for education. The various friezes, bas reliefs and statues relate stories from the Bible, lives of saints, and royalty from the Old Testament. This is where we begin to see the turning point in Gothic art. Figures are more naturalistic, more expressive. Their poses are more natural, their garments seeming to flow around them. Each figure is uniform in height and given their own space. There is more form to them, seeming more life-like.

Also like the other cathedrals, Chartres was an important stop on the "pilgrimage trail". Chartres possesses a holy relic from the Virgin Mary. In 876, shortly after its consecration, the cathedral was presented with a piece of torn cloth believed to be from the veil of the Virgin Mary when she gave birth to Christ, known as the Sancta Camisia. It was given as a gift from Charles the Bald, the grandson of Charlemagne.

A devastating blaze in 1194 almost put an end to the cathedral's popularity. Not only was the cathedral almost obliterated, but so was the city. It was almost certain that the Sancta Camisia had perished in the fire, leaving the citizens heart broken. However, on the third day after the fire, the piece was located, untouched by flames (hhmmm....does this sound familiar?!) The people believed this to be a sign from the Virgin that she wanted a grander place where Her faithful could come to worship. And thus started the cathedral that stands today.

Unlike the other cathedrals, Chartres was completed in a mere 70 years, (compared to the other cathedrals, with some taking centuries to construct). Its completion and consecration was in 1260, with a pious King Louis IX (St. Louis) in attendance. Since then, no major harm has come to the cathedral. In fact, Chartres is the only French cathedral that gives a clear representation of what it must have looked like at its completion.

The Labyrinth 

The west side of the floor of Chartres' nave has a labyrinth design, using white stone and black marble. It is not exactly known when it was placed, however, some believe it to be in the 13th century. The labyrinth is believed to be symbolic of the spiritual journey of the faithful who travel to the Holy Land. It is also a way to meditate, as the monks used to do.

The labyrinth is approximately 42-ft in diameter, the largest church labyrinth constructed during the middle ages. The circumference of the labyrinth is 131-feet, almost the same size of the west Rose window. In the center panel of the window contains a depiction of Jesus Christ, perhaps forming a spiritual and visual link when viewed from the center of the labyrinth.

West Rose Window at Chartres

Curiously, the labyrinth is the same distance from the west entrance as the west Rose is from the floor. This forms an imaginary line, creating a hypotenuse of an isosceles triangle. If we go back and look at my previous post on "Divine Dimensions and God's Golden Ratio", we can see how this all makes sense. Perhaps there is some "hidden mathematical code" in the designs of the great cathedrals.

"Ignorance of numbers, too, prevents us from understanding things that are set down in Scripture in a figurative and mystical way". (Augustine, On Christian Doctrine, Book 2, Ch.16:25)