Chartres was dedicated to Our Lady, and its most sacred relic, the ‘Sancta Camisia’ (Fig. 2.18), made it a major pilgrimage site. This was the gown said to have been worn by the Virgin during childbirth.
Disaster and Divine Intervention
The cathedral was rebuilt after the older Romanesque church was destroyed by fire in 1194. The west front and the two towers that survived the blaze were incorporated into the new design.
The sacred relic was first thought lost, but when it was found some days later beneath the charred embers in the crypt, it was seen as a miracle from the Virgin herself. Donations quickly poured in from all over France as rich and poor helped to cart stones up the hill. The new cathedral of Chartres took only 80 years to build, which was a remarkably short period for that time.
Floor plan Apse
Figure 2.18 The ‘Sancta Camisia’, the most sacred relic of Chartres.
Figure 2.19 Plan of Chartres Cathedral. The nave and transepts are cruciform in shape and the form of the cross faces upwards to be seen by God in heaven.
Spire West portal Nave South portal Rib vaulting
Choir and sanctuary
Ambulatory North portal East Transept
Rose window
Rose window
Lancet windows
Tympanum
Royal Portal – West Front
Pointed arch Flying buttress CHAPTER 2 GOTHIC ART AND ARCHITECTURE 35 South portal
