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Chartres

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Traditional houses in Chartres, the Eure-et-Loir department of France

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Overview

Step off the train in Chartres, 91km southwest of Paris, and the two very different steeples – one Gothic, the other Romanesque – of its glorious 13th-century cathedral loom above. Follow them to check out the cathedral’s dazzling blue stained-glass windows and its collection of relics, including the Sainte Voile (Holy Veil) said to have been worn by the Virgin Mary when she gave birth to Jesus, which have lured pilgrims since the Middle Ages.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • The south view of Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres, France.; Cathédrale Notre Dame Shutterstock ID 688583665; your: Bridget Brown; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: POI Image Update

    Cathédrale Notre Dame

    Chartres

    One of Western civilisation’s crowning architectural achievements, the 130m-long Cathédrale Notre Dame de Chartres is renowned for its brilliant-blue…

  • View to the North tower of Chartres Cathedral.

    Tour Nord

    Chartres

    Climbing 350 steps up to the 112m-high Tour Nord (aka Clocher Neuf; New Bell Tower) of the Cathédrale Notre Dame is well worth it. A 70m-high platform on…

  • West Royal portal of Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres.

    Portail Royal

    Chartres

    The west, north and south entrances of the Cathédrale Notre Dame have superbly ornamented triple portals, but the west entrance, known as the Portail…

  • Cathédrale Notre Dame Crypt

    Cathédrale Notre Dame Crypt

    Chartres

    The 100m crypt of Cathédrale Notre Dame, a tombless Romanesque structure built in 1024 around a 9th-century predecessor, is the largest in France. Tours…

  • Église St-Pierre

    Église St-Pierre

    Chartres

    Flying buttresses hold up the 12th- and 13th-century Église St-Pierre. Once part of a Benedictine monastery founded in the 7th century, it was outside the…

  • Musée des Beaux-Arts

    Musée des Beaux-Arts

    Chartres

    Chartres’ fine-arts museum, accessed via the gate next to Cathédrale Notre Dame’s north portal, is in the former Palais Épiscopal (Bishop’s Palace), built…

  • Collégiale St-André

    Collégiale St-André

    Chartres

    From rue Cardinal Pie, the stairways Tertre St-Nicolas and rue Chantault – the latter lined with medieval houses (number 29 is the oldest house in…

  • Clocher Vieux

    Clocher Vieux

    Chartres

    Along with the the Portail Royal, the main Romanesque feature of the Cathédrale Notre Dame is the 105m-high Clocher Vieux (also called the Tour Sud or…

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