Chartres Cathedral

The most complete Gothic cathedral in the world, with original medieval stained glass

Chartres Cathedral is probably the most complete Gothic cathedral in the world. Its two mismatched spires — one plain Romanesque, one ornate Flamboyant Gothic — are visible from miles across the flat wheat fields of the Beauce. The nave is the widest in France at 32 metres, and the stained glass windows, most of them original 12th- and 13th-century work, are extraordinary.

The cathedral has been a major pilgrimage site since the Middle Ages, when it housed the Sancta Camisa, said to be the tunic worn by the Virgin Mary. Pilgrims still come, and the labyrinth set into the nave floor is walked regularly.

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A story
When Chartres burned in 1194, the townspeople feared the Sancta Camisa — the relic tunic said to be worn by the Virgin Mary — was lost. When it emerged unharmed from the crypt three days later, it was taken as a sign from the Virgin herself that she wanted a new, grander cathedral. The city essentially bankrupted itself to build one in under 30 years, which is why Chartres has a unity of style and completeness of original glass that no other Gothic cathedral can match.

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