Notre Dame travel guide

The Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres, (Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres), located in Chartres, about 80 km from Paris, is considered one of the finest examples in all France of the Gothic style of architecture.
Chartres is a cathedral that inspires superlatives, and there are few architectural historians who have not waxed lyrical about its soaring aisles and delicate carving. These tributes are richly deserved, for Chartres is truly one of the greatest of all French Gothic cathedrals. From a distance it seems to hover in mid-air above waving fields of wheat, and it is only when the visitor draws closer that the city comes into view, clustering around the hill on which the cathedral stands. Its two contrasting spires - one, a 105 metre (349 ft) plain pyramid dating from the 1140s, and the other a 113 metre (377 ft) tall early 16th century Flamboyant spire on top of an older tower - soar upwards over the pale green roof, while all around the outside are complex flying buttresses.
According to legend, since 876 the Church preceding the Cathedral housed a tunic that was believed to have belonged to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Sancta Camisia, making the town a popular site for religious pilgrimage. When the early Cathedral (expansion of old church) begun in 1145 burned down, the relic was first believed lost in the fire. After three days of cooling priests said to have taken shelter in the underground vaults emerged from the ruins with the relic amongst many witnesses (clearing debris) which was accounted and announced as a miracle by a papal legate and Cardinal from Rome-who was conveniently visiting- which "miracle of survival", in turn, reignited interest in the building project, which had begun to languish, and the dramatic event drew in funds and contributions from most of Europe generating a reinvigoration of the project which was increased subsequently thereafter in scope and expense. (...) more....

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