Photo: Gzen92 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · editedCathédrale de Chartres
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Why go
- Most of the original stained glass survives in a building little changed since the early 13th century.
- The contrasting west spires rise to 105 and 113 metres.
- The choir enclosure has 200 statues in 41 scenes from the lives of Mary and Jesus.
- The Gothic cathedral rises above a surviving Romanesque crypt.
- Chartres Cathedral has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979.
Opening hours
Today08:30 – 19:30Show all
Don't miss
- Portail royalLook for Christ’s incarnation, Ascension or pre-existence, and Second Coming across the three west doorways, alongside figures representing the Seven Liberal Arts.West façade, facing the parvis
- Notre-Dame de la Belle-VerrièreThe upper part of this window dates to around 1180 and may have come from the earlier cathedral’s apse.First choir bay after the south transept
- Nave labyrinthLook for the labyrinth worked into the nave pavement. The nave was designed to accommodate pilgrims who sometimes slept there.Nave
- Sancta CamisaA fragment about 30 × 30 cm is displayed inside. The Sancta Camisa is traditionally identified as the Virgin Mary’s tunic at Christ’s birth and remains an object of pilgrimage.Inside the cathedral
- Saint-Piat chapel and treasuryReopened on 21 September 2024 after 24 years of research and restoration, the chapel displays the cathedral treasury and archaeological objects.Saint-Piat chapel2024
Know before you go
- Open daily from 08:30 to 19:30.
Services and visiting hours
- Every evening
- Vespers Sung by the Chemin Neuf Community since 2001.
- Prayer, ceremonies and concerts
- Held at the cathedral
Interesting facts6
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1145
Three windows made around 1145 depict Christ’s genealogy, life and Passion.
Chartres Cathedral - Wikipedia -
The cathedral faces the rising sun at the summer solstice.
History | Cathédrale de Chartres -
A north porch carving shows stages of flax preparation, reflecting the crop’s medieval importance locally.
Chartres Cathedral - Wikipedia -
170 times
Mary is represented in the cathedral more than 170 times.
Visits | Cathédrale de Chartres -
33.5 metres
The Saints Forts well is about 33.5 metres deep and was probably dug in Roman times.
Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres - Wikipedia -
1520
At the base of the north tower stands a Renaissance clock made in 1520 by Jean Texier, with a polychrome face.
Chartres Cathedral - Wikipedia
Shorts
History
Chartres’s cathedral school flourished under Fulbert in the 11th century; Bernhard von Chartres followed in the 12th. During the French Revolution, a local architect helped prevent the cathedral’s demolition by explosives.
- mid-4th centuryThe first cathedral on this site was built beside a Gallo-Roman wall.
- Around 876Charles the Bald gave the cathedral a relic of the Virgin, making it a pilgrimage destination.
- 1194A fire destroyed much of the cathedral, but the crypt, towers and west portal survived. Rebuilding began soon after.
- 1194–1220Most of the present Gothic cathedral was built; its roof was in place by 1220.
- 1260The cathedral was formally reconsecrated in October in the presence of Louis IX.
Show all
- 1516–1714The choir’s sculptural ensemble took almost two centuries to complete.
- 1594Henri IV was crowned in the cathedral’s choir.
- 2009A restoration campaign began cleaning and repainting the interior to recover its earlier light colours.
Sources: Chartres Cathedral - Wikipedia · Home Anglaise | Cathédrale de Chartres · Visits | Cathédrale de Chartres · History | Cathédrale de Chartres · Kathedrale von Chartres - Wikipedia · Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres - Wikipedia · Cathédrale de Chartres: description (its own si… · checked 6 Oct 2026
- Website
- cathedrale-chartres.org/
- Phone
- +33 2 37 21 59 08
Questions and answers
Why do some stone monsters project from the walls of Cathédrale de Chartres?
Some carry rainwater away from the walls; others warned worshippers against disregarding biblical teachings.
Why does the nave floor at Cathédrale de Chartres slope slightly?
The slope allowed the floor to be washed with water each morning.
Who built Cathédrale de Chartres?
Specialist workers called compagnons worked in guilds or fraternities and sometimes left marks on the stones.
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