Chartres Old Town

Chartres, France

Chartres old town is located to the banks of the Eure River, which at this point divides into three branches. The rives is crossed by several bridges, some of them ancient, and is fringed in places by remains of the old fortifications. The Porte Guillaume (14th century), a gateway flanked by towers, is the most complete specimen. The steep, narrow streets of the old town contrast with the wide, shady boulevards which encircle it and divide it from the suburbs. The Cbs St Jean, a pleasant park, lies to the north-west, and squares and open spaces are numerous.

TheHotel de ville, a building of the 17th century (containing a museum and library), an older hotel de ville of the 13th century, and several medieval and Renaissance houses, are points of interest. There is a statue of General F. S. Marceau-Desgraviers (b. 1769), a native of the town.

References:

Comments

Your name



Address

Pont Bouju, Chartres, France
See all sites in Chartres

Details

Founded: 9th century
Category: Historic city squares, old towns and villages in France
Historical period: Frankish kingdoms (France)

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.7/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Lana Hester (2 years ago)
What a beautiful Cathedral! We got a walk through, and admired all the beautiful glass windows. We stayed for mass, even though we did not know the language very well. It was well worth the trip from Paris.
Kathelijne Van Gampelaere (2 years ago)
Beautiful Roman Catholic cathedral in Chartres, about 80 km southwest of Paris. It is considered 'the high point of French Gothic art' and is truly a masterpiece, not only by Unesco, wo designates this cathedral a World Heritage Site. This cathedral is well-preserved and well-restored. The majority of the original stained glass windows survived intact. If you are lucky enough to pay a visit on a bright sunny day, the colors are just radiant. Entrance is free, but gifts are most welcomed for further and future restoration.
Silvio Casagrande (2 years ago)
Incredible cathedral and the restoration process shows how it should have been seen in the middle ages. Many things to check, starting from the vitraux, but do not miss the labyrinth in the floor around the middle of the nave. There are guide visits to the cathedral: check the times to make sure you can do it. I missed the last one on the day (starts 1600hd). I'll need to go back!
Andrey Novoselov (2 years ago)
The best-preserved example of Gothic architecture in France, renowned for its Chartres blue stained glass. French Gothic architecture reached its most coherent expression in Chartres Cathedral. Many medieval cathedrals took decades or even centuries to build, resulting in a patchwork of architectural styles, but not Chartres. When the town’s old Romanesque cathedral burned down in 1194, the local community pulled together to complete a new cathedral in just 26 years. Consequently, the new cathedral was wholly Gothic: cruciform in shape with two towers on the west facade, a curved apse and radiating chapels, and filled with height and light. Its vault rises 112 ft (34 m) above the nave floor; its walls are largely composed of stained glass. Original features. Few medieval buildings have remained as untouched as Chartres Cathedral. Much of its 32,000 square ft (3,000 square m) of stained glass dates from the early 13th century, as do the narrative sculptures around the cathedral’s portals and a tiled labyrinth that leads pilgrims around the floor of the nave.
Dr.Gabriel Androne (3 years ago)
The unique Cathedral on the Planet where all the religions can pray!
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Monte d'Accoddi

Monte d"Accoddi is a Neolithic archaeological site in northern Sardinia, located in the territory of Sassari. The site consists of a massive raised stone platform thought to have been an altar. It was constructed by the Ozieri culture or earlier, with the oldest parts dated to around 4,000–3,650 BC.

The site was discovered in 1954 in a field owned by the Segni family. No chambers or entrances to the mound have been found, leading to the presumption it was an altar, a temple or a step pyramid. It may have also served an observational function, as its square plan is coordinated with the cardinal points of the compass.

The initial Ozieri structure was abandoned or destroyed around 3000 BC, with traces of fire found in the archeological evidence. Around 2800 BC the remains of the original structure were completely covered with a layered mixture of earth and stone, and large blocks of limestone were then applied to establish a second platform, truncated by a step pyramid (36 m × 29 m, about 10 m in height), accessible by means of a second ramp, 42 m long, built over the older one. This second temple resembles contemporary Mesopotamian ziggurats, and is attributed to the Abealzu-Filigosa culture.

Archeological excavations from the chalcolithic Abealzu-Filigosa layers indicate the Monte d"Accoddi was used for animal sacrifice, with the remains of sheep, cattle, and swine recovered in near equal proportions. It is among the earliest known sacrificial sites in Western Europe.

The site appears to have been abandoned again around 1800 BC, at the onset of the Nuragic age.

The monument was partially reconstructed during the 1980s. It is open to the public and accessible by the old route of SS131 highway, near the hamlet of Ottava. It is 14,9 km from Sassari and 45 km from Alghero. There is no public transportation to the site. The opening times vary throughout the year.