Church of Our Lady of Chartres - France

The French Organization for Science, Education and Culture recognized the Church of Our Lady of Chartres as a World Cultural Heritage in 1979.

Church of Our Lady of Chartres - World Heritage in France

Notre Dame Cathedral Chartres is a church in the city of Chartres located in the province of Eure-et-Loirr, about 80 km from the French capital Paris.

It can be said that Chartres Cathedral is the most intact church in a series of important churches in the Eure-et-Loirr region, a suburb of France. The church is famous for its perfect Gothic style .

In the history of France, the antiquity of Chartres was the capital of the Goliath. In 858, the Normans invaded the city but did not capture the city. By the 10th century, the Chartres region became the fief of many noble families and merged into the Royal territory. Since then the emperors granted the duke to grant land here so that they could build a palace. By the time of King Louis 14, he sent his brother Philippe Orlean to come here and designate the Duke of Chartres.
The first church was built here in the fourth century, but by 473 it was completely destroyed. The second church was built in 858 but was completely burnt in 1020. Soon after this church was rebuilt the third time, it continued to burn down in a fire in 1194. The fourth time was rebuilt, the local government called for the support of people and other parishes to raise money. In 26 years, the church was basically built but this time due to the long construction period, the architecture of the church did not have the same unity as the previous times.

Architectural part and interior of the church.The arches, columns and carved figures show the sophistication and sophistication in design that the Notre Dame Cathedral has a beauty unlike any other church.

The church that visitors see today was built around the 30th century of the 13th century, and was built in 26 years, many years later it still continues to be supplemented with small details inside, Pillars The western corridor of the Church is the remaining tower of the previous building built in the 12th century.

Images and statues on the gate and the exterior of the church with the main content depicting the life of Our Lady, Jesus and the characters of the Bible.

The main hall of the Church has 3 main doors, above which are pictures of the life of Jesus . The north and south doors are decorated with statues with themes in the Old Testament and the traditional Bible . The roof of the Church has a spearhead shape, which is the two ancient steeples. A guard was built in the 12th century, while the other was built four centuries later, the sixteenth century. The builder of the second bell tower is called Yehan de Beauce, and he built a Gothic bell tower with Renaissance architecture. The stone railing part where today's choir is still singing is also designed by Yehan de Beauce. The tomb area under the cathedral was built during the 2 centuries from the 9th century to the 11th century.

Stained glass panels are considered as magnificent glass paintings that contribute to the famous of Notre Dame Cathedral

It can be said that the entire Notre Dame Cathedral is a beautiful museum with collections and ancient artworks about the richest Virgin Mary in the world. Besides the typical Gothic architecture, the Church also possesses the famous Virgin Mary statue which is considered to be the masterpiece of the world.

The cathedral's cathedral is larger and taller than the churches built before this time. The church has a gate plus a hall (main hall) and 7 uneven spaces are allocated on both sides of the East and West. The total area within the cathedral is 580 m2 with a height of 36.55 meters.

The gates of the church are also beautifully designed. The South Gate has reliefs and statues depicting the first appearance of Jesus, with the image of an infant in the arms of Our Lady. The North Gate has a picture depicting the mission of Jesus in the world. The middle gate, the central gate has the image of the reincarnated princess, the scene of the Saint Anne carrying the Virgin Mary at her childhood. In addition, on both sides of the gate, many characters of the Old Testament and New Testament are seen: Saint Pierre, Saint Baptiste, Saint Jean . On the top of the porch there is also the image of God creating the world. with the life of Adam and Eva .

Although there is such a beautiful and unique architecture, the point that makes the most famous church is stained glass . The Middle Ages stained glass did not look as transparent and vibrant as now, but were opaque and dark like precious stones. If entering the church, it must be a time to get used to the level of light here, this difficulty is a very unique feature of the Notre Dame Cathedral.
Notre Dame Cathedral of Chartres is not the most recent and famous recent years, it has been famous since the 13th century by stained glass paintings. The oldest four panes of glass are from the middle of the eighth century, the total of the church has 173 glass panels mounted in windows with a total area of ​​up to 2,000 m2. Light from the outside horizontally through the windows of the glass form all colors: red, blue, green, yellow, purple . inside the church. Each glass picture here depicts an episode in the Bible or in the history of the Church. Thanks to these glass paintings, it is more like a large library, a museum than a church. All glass paintings have created a beautiful, light landscape, reducing the solemn atmosphere inherent in the places of worship.
Until now, if you visit France, you will find Notre Dame de Chartres is always the first choice destination because it is not only famous but also architecture and works in the church are masterpiece of art.