What to see in Chartres (France): this is the visit to the Gothic cathedral

It had been a long time since I had a date with Chartres, a city that is located just over an hour from Paris, and which is surrounded by the highway that takes us from the French capital to Madrid.

And he had a very good reason to make a stop in this city of France, visit your impressive gothic cathedral which has led to its inclusion in the list of World Heritage for the Unesco.

The silhouette of the cathedral, which due to its large dimensions can be seen from afar when you travel along the aforementioned highway, is always a clear invitation to visit it.

To do so we have included this visit in the final stage of the route through the castles of the Loire Valley that we have recently done, but it can also be the starting point for it.

Curiosities history of Chartres

Chartres It is a small city of barely 40.000 inhabitants belonging to the region Centre-Loire Valley.

At its highest point is the current Gothic cathedral, where at the beginning of the Middle Ages A first Romanesque-style cathedral was built to preserve a relic of the Virgin's mantle.

For this reason Chartres it turned into a pilgrimage city.

The Romanesque cathedral was destroyed by a fire in 1194, although part of the current façade is preserved, as well as several Romanesque stained glass.

Gothic Cathedral of Chartres, World Heritage Site

Precisely, the current façade was built from that façade. Gothic cathedral, and it only took 40 years to build it, with the peculiarity that it is now preserved as it was 800 years ago, without having undergone any type of transformation.

To get an idea of ​​its dimensions, inside the Chartres Cathedral fits the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral.

This large size was possible in the medieval times thanks to the peculiar Gothic structure of its vaults, which was a pioneer in the world, which allowed it to support much larger weights and make the interior much wider and higher.

It also allowed much larger than usual stained glass windows to be placed.

In fact, currently during your visit you can see up to more than 170 gothic stained glass windows which are original from the 13th century, which is a rarity in the world.

This gothic stained glass set dating back more than 800 years, it is considered the most complete and best preserved in the world, and it is one of the reasons why the Chartres Cathedral es Heritage.

It is also striking that these stained glass windows had been saved from the effects of the Second World War, when the shock wave from the explosion of a bomb falling nearby would have destroyed them.

But the inhabitants of the city, foreseeing what could happen because it had already happened in other cities in France, decided to dismantle the stained glass windows one by one and protect them.

Which they also did with the sculptures of the exterior facades, covering them with sandbags to prevent explosions from breaking them.

What to see when visiting Chartres Cathedral

This has allowed you to enter the Chartres Cathedral and you see it as it was 800 years ago in a kind of time travel, that is, except for the choir area which in the 18th century was converted to baroque.

Addition impressive dimensions of its interiorWhen visiting, the cleaning process that the cathedral has undergone in recent years draws a lot of attention, since until its beginning only walls, columns and ceilings with black stones, and dark stained glass windows were visible.

After the aforementioned cleaning process, the entire interior is now seen almost white, but not because it has been painted that color, but because the dirt has been removed and the original color that the cathedral had at the time has been removed.

In fact, there are some parts of the cathedral that still maintain that black color because the restoration process has not finished, which produces a great contrast.

Most Romanesque and Gothic stained glass It has also been cleaned, and now shines with its original colors.

Gothic stained glass windows of Chartres Cathedral

In this regard you should know that the gothic stained glass They have a very special blue color, so much so that it is known as the Chartres blue, and has not been able to be reproduced again.

It is also curious to see one of the first advertisements in history, because when reading in the Gothic stained glass the history of some biblical passage as was done at the time, from left to right and from bottom to top, at the bottom you can see representations of who financed its construction.

This cost was normally assumed by the different guilds of the city, so that now you can see what the traditional jobs were in the Middle Ages, such as blacksmith, water carrier or baker.

Evening sound and light show at Chartres Cathedral

Now if you're going to visit Chartres, you should not miss the night light and sound show that every night from April to December It takes place in more than 20 monuments and emblematic places in the city, the most prominent place being, without a doubt, the cathedral doorway.

El light and sound show at Chartres Cathedral It starts when it gets dark and ends at 1 in the morning.

They are spectacular presentations of moving images, with a musical background, in which different stories about the city are told.

In the case of the cathedral façade, there are three successive shows, so you can watch them for about an hour.

Where to sleep in Chartres: Maisson Ailleurs

Un very special accommodation in the same Chartres center, in an excellent location just steps from the cathedral, Maison Ailleurs, a mansion that was bishops residence, and where we slept for the city visit.

El king charles v he gave it to bishopric of Chartres and now in this stately building they have been enabled five suites, real apartments of about 60 square meters.

Surrounded by lush private gardens and a patio that serves as a garage, now you can enjoy this charming place for your stay in Chartres, ideal, for example, for the accommodation of two pairs of friends or a couple with children.

Map: how to get to Chartres

La city ​​of Chartres is just over an hour from Paris, on the route between Spain and the French capital.

Photos of Chartres and its Gothic cathedral

Here you have more photos of Chartres and its Gothic cathedral in France, a city located southwest of Paris.