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The first great Gothic Cathedral free of tribune galleries replaced by flying buttresses, which made possible the most daring of structures, is Chartres Cathedral. it marks the triumph of Gothic Art. This radical new design created colossal clerestory stained glass windows and other colossal stained glass windows throughout the choir, transepts, and nave. The  resulting  Chartres collection of 176 stained glass masterpieces is considered by art historians as the greatest collection of  Medieval  Art in the world.

BEFORE we visit a few of these masterpieces. An explanation of how the brilliant use of the flying buttress created the spaciousness and super-light that created the space for these works of art.

illustration of the structural engineering  using ribbed vault, gothic arches, and flying buttresses that opened the Chartres Cathedral to include these huge windows. This was 600- years before the French or American Revolution.

This shows how this Chartres structural system transferred the considerable weight of the huge stones in the  roof and stone walls  from interior walls to the outside buttress. ALLOWING much thinner walls and the openings for the colossal windows without effecting the structural integrity of the Cathedral which structural integrity has lasted over 900 years.

Now that we understand how this huge windows suddenly brought light to the interior of the Chartres Cathedral. let’s look at a few of the fabulous windows.The most famous window is called Notre Dame de la Belle Verriere

This window is located on the south side of the Cathedral, at the entrance to the choir, in bay 14.  It consists of twenty-four segments: The three at the bottom of the window depict the three temptations of Christ as recorded by Matthew 4:1-11 and Luke 4:1-13.  The next six panels tell the story of Christ’s first miracle at Cana as recorded in John 2:1-11.  The next four central panels show four angels upholding a throne and the Virgin Mary and her Son, Jesus.  Ten narrow side panels depict angels doing homage to Mary and Jesus.  The central panel above May’s head shows the Holy Spirit as a dove. 1.  A devil tempts Christ, showing him a stone. 2.  Christ stands on the pinnacle of the Temple. 3.  Christ, on a mountain, sends the devil away. 4.  Followed by his disciples, Christ goes to Cana. 5.  The Wedding banquet at Cana. 6.  Mary speaks to Christ. 7.  Mary speaks to the waiters. 8.  Christ changes the water into wine. 9.  One of the waiters brings some wine to the steward of the feast. 10.-11.-12.  Notre Dame de la Belle Verriere (Our Lady of the Beautiful Window). 13.  The Holy Spirit in the form of a dove, sends forth three rays of light upon the halo around Mary’s head. 14.  Four angels uphold the throne on which Mary is seated. 15.-16.-17.-18.  Angels with censers 19.-20.  Angeles bearing candles. 21.-22.  Angels with censers, whose large bowls fill up the empty spaces around Mary’s head. 23.-24.  Angels with hands joined emerge from clouds.

In 1194 a fire destroyed Chartres' earlier Cathedral.  Of the twelfth-century windows that survived, only this and one other 
 were the only ones deemed worth reusing by the thirteenth century master.  This image of Mary has for centuries been an object 
of special veneration and since the fifteenth century has been known as Our Lady of the Beautiful Window.  
In 1906, the glazier Gaudin restored Mary's head.  While before Mary's gaze was fixed straight ahead, her head is now 
inclined very slightly towards the viewer's left.








This Rose window is above the NORTH PORTAL DOOR.
When the sunlight strikes these stained glass, colored light appears inside the Cathedral.
Charlemagne is said to have given the earlier Chartres Cathedral the cloak of the Virgin Mary to whom this church is dedicated.  The fire that
preceded the building of this Chartres Cathedral in about 1194 was thought to have destroyed the Virgin Mary's cloak. After a meticulous search
the cloak was recovered. The religious of France took this as a sign that the Virgin Mary was unhappy withe the just burned Cathedral. Suddenly from
all parts of France came an army of volunteers and huge donations to build the new Chartres Cathedral.

The Blue Virgin, the other stained glass treasure saved from the 1194 fire.

This ends our three part feature on the fabulous Chartres Cathedral. I hope you have an opportunity to spend a few days enjoying this treasure.

YOU CAN FIND MANY OTHER PICTURES LOOKING UNDER CHARTRES CATHEDRAL STAINED GLASS WINDOWS.

Next will be Bourges Cathedral

Now that we have read the prior history of the Chartres Cathedral – we begin our detailed visit to this Gothic masterpiece.

element.  The flying buttress became the means for changing the concept and designing of Gothic structures.  Many things impossible before, suddenly became possible.

This is best described by many architectural historians as the architecture of the flying buttress. This new architecture started at the new Chartres Cathedral .

The most telling change was the sudden increases in flying buttresses. In Chartres as shown above.  Below shows the two arches placed one above the other going from a wall to the buttress pier

.,

How did this system of buttressing piers and arches function ? They are a system of struts placed against main walls just above the piers

at the back of the vault springers.

The use of the flying buttress   allowed the architect of Chartres to reduce thew bulk of the walls, create

spaciousness, and use much larger windows which flooded the interiors with light. This permitted the new Chartres Cathedral to be much larger.

This included double aisles and double ambulatories. This created a trend in Cathedral design for the next 200 years.

THE ROYAL PORTAL -WEST ENTRANCE

On the lower lintel, we see, to the left:The Annunciation. Both the archangel Gabriel and the
Virgin Mary are standing; betwen them, an open book
lies on the ground.The Visitation, a scene in which Mary wears a royal
crown.In the middle:The Nativity of Our Lord. The Virgin lies on a low
bed; above her is the Child, in a manger; and Saint Joseph,
standing at the head of the bed, seems rapt in contem-
plation of the new-born babe.To the right:An Angel, with tidings of the Saviour’s birth, comes
upon the shepherds, one of whom plays on his pipes,
with sheep grazing at his feet.On the upper lintel, we have another Presentation of
Our Lord in the temple; to the right and left, kinsfolk
bring their offerings; in the centre, the Child is supported
on the altar by his mother and the devout old Jew,
Simeon.In the tympanum, above all these groups, the Virgin
in seated with the Child in her lap, as is usual in
Byzantine art; on each side, an angel is swinging a
censer. The statue is probably the one mentioned in the
cartulary of the cathedral as a gift of archdeacon Richer,
who died in 1150.The arch. — At the bottom of the first order, on the
left, are two signs of the Zodiac: the Fishes and the
Twins, no doubt originally belonging to the left bay. This
inner order also contains six angels surrounding the throne
of the queen. The rest of the arch is filled by the seven
liberal arts, the trivium and the quadrivium, being repre-
sented in a twofold way: symbolically in the guise of women;
and historically by the seven men who were considered,
each in his own line, the outstanding exponents of the
arts. They can be identified with some degree of cer-
tainty.Beginning from the left, in the second order

At the top of the tympanum, Christ, standing on a
cloud, is supported by two angels.Below, on the lintel, four other angels lean towards
the apostles, as if to say : « Ye men of Galilee, why
stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which
is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like
manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. »
( ACTS I. 11).In the arch, the labours of the months alternate with
the signs of the Zodiac. Beginning from the bottom on
the right, we have in the first order:

On the left, from bottom to top;

In the second order, on the left again and beginning
from the bottom.

On the right, and from the bottom:

We have here a « Majestas Domini » according to
the Apocalypse.

In the tympanum, the figure of Christ, seated on a
throne, is surrounded by an oval glory; behind his head
is the cruciform nimbus; his right hand is raised in
blessing, while his left holds a book resting upright on
his knee. On either side, are the four beasts symbolising
the four evangelists.

On the lintel below, are the twelve apostles, in groups
of three, and at each end an unknown figure.

More  detailed visit to Chartres Cathedral in Part 3

‘“Our Lady of Chartres is one of the finest churches raised to the glory of God and the Virgin. It is most solid in structure, without heaviness; perfect in its proportions; — the wonderful spires are like an invitation to prayer, and the severe beauty of the western front seems to scorn vain ornaments.

The nave with the harmony of its lines, at once takes hold of the soul! nor does any crushing sense of terror come down from the stoneblocks hanging some hundred and fifteen feet overhead, for massive slender piers support them; and there is about the whole building an air of robustness and balance.Then one walks on as if clad in a garment of gems which fall from our unrivalled windows; their soft light runs along the walls and floods the pavement; the colouring changes with the season and the hour, and, of an evening, when the last rays of the setting sun creep through that transparent mosaic, it is as if the walls were strewn with golden dust.

Did some medieval magicians want to carry us away to dreamland? No; artists merely tried to represent what the mystic city is, in which man’s soul can meet with God; their ambition was to make of the church a dwelling worthy of the Virgin whom they worshipped.” CHARTRES CATHEDRAL by Etainne Houvet,1930

History of Chartres Cathedral

Practically nothing is known of the churches built before the ninth century, But, in 858, Danish

rovers destroyed the church then standing in Chartres.

Bishop Gislebert at once began the work of reconstruction, and extented the area of the building

by casting the foundations of the new apse beyond the city-walls. Of that church, the martyrium only

is left and is now commonly called Saint Lubin’s chapel. It was lighted by five windows, which are

walled in to-day. This church was in its turn destroyed by fire in the night of September 7, 1020.

Saint Fulbert was then bishop of Chartres. All of the great prelate’s genius, science and piety went

to the endeavour of building the church anew. To his letters, King Robert and other sovereigns of

Europe responded by magnificent gifts. Fulbert began with the crypt; and, round the martyrium, he

had an ambulatory built, which opened into three large barrel-vaulted chapels, and which he extended

on either, side into galleries. He then built the upper church, in length: 108 metres, and in width:

34 metres.

The fire which burnt the town in 1134, injured the front of the church as well as the bell-tower.

Then it was that the north-tower was begun, to be completed about 1150 . It consisted only of two

stories and had a leaden roof. The south-tower was begun about 1144 and was completed, spire and

all, about 1160. That is certainly one of the finest steeples in the world. The harmony of its

proportions is exquisite. And the architect who designed it showed remarkable skill in the vay he

contrived to pass from the square tower to the octogonal spire, rising towards heaven with such

slenderness and majesty. The total height is 105 metres.

In the night of June 10, 1194, Fulbert’s renowned church was burnt, the flames sparing only the

crypt, the towers and the new-built front.  This was a great event in Christendom, for the pilgrimage

to the Virgin of Chartres was one of the most popular.

The pope’s legate happened to be in Chartres at the time. He gathered together the clergy and the

people, and roused such enthusiasm that, forgetting private losses, one and all vowed they would raise

a new and even more splendid church. Bishop Renaud de Mouçon and the canons relinquished their

prebends for three years. Following such notable example, the people brought large offerings. Kings

and nobles proved no less magnificent: all classes shared in rebuilding the cathedral. The work, under

the control of an unknown master, went forward with great rapidity. The church, begun in 1194, was

roofed in 1220: and this accounts for the unity of style which is unmistakable throughout; one mind

designed and carried out the plans. And what plans they were! with the porches yet to be built, and

seven towers, not even begun. So diligently they worked that the cathedral as a whole, and as it now

stands, was completed in 1260, when it was officially dedicated, Saint Louis per haps attending the

ceremony. Minor work went on afterwards. — The vestry was built in the last quarter of the century. In 1326

a fine chapel was raised close to the apse, and dedicated to Saint Piat, whose relics used to draw

crowds of pilgrims. This chapel, which measures 15 metres 40 in length and 7 metres 20 in breadth,

and is divided into four bays, is very pure in style and harmonious in its proportions. The capitals

and bosses denote perfect craftsmanship and the fourteenth century glass affords great interest. Note

a lovely double piscina, unfortunately very much injured.In 1413, Louis of Bourbon, Count of Vendôme, and

a prisoner, vowed that, should he be released,

he would raise a chapel to Our Lady. He therefore, in 1417, hada chapel opened in the fifth bay of

the southern aisle, which still bears his name, but which, built in the flamboyant style of the period,

is out of keeping with the rest of the building.

n 1507, Jean Texier began the new spire which he completed in 1513. The next year, he
undertook tho choir-screen.

It was in 1753 that the canons started their devastating campaign in the choir. They completely
covered the pillars with vulgar-looking stucco, and replaced the beautiful tapestries hanging behind
the stalls by those marble reliefs which are distasteful to every lover of medieval art. And Bridan
sculpted the group of the Assumption of which the less said the better.

In 1836, the carelessness of a plumber caused another dreadful conflagration The roof and the
two belfreys were entirely burnt and the bells melted; yet the building itself was not injured and the
glass was untouched. An iron roof covered with copper plates has taken the place of the famous « forest ».

It seems the unknown architect of Chartres was fortunate enough to find the forms which were
to stand as models to the rest of Europe. The shape is that of a latin cross, with the apse turned to
the East. It has a central nave of seven bays and two aisles going round in a double ambulatory. The apse
is made up of seven apsidal chapels. Two steeples rise above the western front. At either end of the
transepts is a three-arched porch flanked by two towers which were to be overtopped with spires. The
apse is also flanked by two uncompleted towers. And, according to the original plan, another tower
was to have been built over the transept crossing.

The church is built of hard stone from the quarries of Berchères, about five miles from Chartres;
it is a kind of siliceous limestone.

Here are the chief dimensions:

Total length 427 feet; length of choir 121 feet.

Length of the transept 199 feet.

Width of the western front 156 feet.

Inside width between the towers 109 feet; inside width of the apse 151 feet.

Width of the nave between the two centres of opposite piers: 54 feet, which therefore is
greater than that of any other French church.

Height of the central vaulting 121 feet.

Length of the lateral porches 124 feet.

Diameter of the three roses 44 feet.

Height of old steeple 345 feet.

Height of new steeple 377 feet.

Part 2 will detail the exteriors