The streets of Chartres were quiet and quaint when we walked through one Sunday about a month ago. We borrowed a friend’s car and drove the hour or so out of France because we had heard about this beautiful village and it’s cathedral from others we’ve met here. It did not disappoint. We loved the old doorways and original architecture. Not much was open, but we did stumble across a big antique market in the square and spent some time there. I thought the idea of a free book exchange ‘booth’ in the middle of town was a great idea!!! Anyone can come and place a book in, or take one out for free. Such an innovative, environmental concept! They should be in every town!

Chartres is famous for it’s Cathedral. The Chartres Cathedral is a historic world monument (UNESCO Heritage site) that has been well preserved. There are tours with incredible stories about pilgrimages to this Cathedral and how the people that came centuries ago slept in the crypt underneath the church.  Perhaps they came because there is a piece of (so it is said) the veil Mary wore when giving birth to Jesus. It was brought to Chartres in 876 by an Emperor and is still there today.  It was one of the only things that survived a fire in 1194, which is claimed to be a miracle. We toured the crypt with a French tourguide and understood enough to enjoy it and be very impressed.  This was the site of Druid ceremonies before 1000AD, which were held around a well that was later discovered under the cathedral crypt. Martyrs were sacrificed in the well which is  34 meters deep!  The crypt floor is 24 meters above the Eure river, which means that the well foundation is at a lower level than the river. We saw the well and it was VERY deep and frightening to look into (and to imagine being tossed into!). If interested, there are pictures of the artwork and chapels in the crypt here. The feature picture of this blog is of a room in the crypt. It is the largest crypt in France with many legends surrounding it.

You can see in the picture of the Cathedral spires above, one which was rebuilt after some damage to it in the 1500’s in a lacy renaissance style. The other tower remains in it’s original Gothic style so they are each unique against the skyline. I took this photo quickly as we were leaving just to compare the spires. There is a building blocking the full view, but the image seemed to grab my attention. The stained glass windows and sculptures are original and just so beautiful that it’s hard to believe this Cathedral is free to enjoy. There is more information on the Cathedral here.