🌹 Chartres Cathedral
France
About This Sacred Site
Chartres Cathedral is widely considered the finest example of French Gothic architecture and one of the great pilgrimage churches of medieval Christendom. The cathedral houses the Sancta Camisa, a relic said to be the tunic worn by the Virgin Mary at the birth of Christ. Its 176 stained-glass windows, most dating from the 12th and 13th centuries, are the most complete surviving collection of medieval glazing in the world. The labyrinth on the nave floor has been walked by pilgrims for over 800 years as a symbolic journey to Jerusalem.
Key Facts
- •UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979
- •Contains 176 stained-glass windows, with most original 12th-13th century glass intact
- •The nave labyrinth, dating to 1205, is 12.9 meters in diameter
- •The Sancta Camisa relic was donated by Charles the Bald in 876 CE
- •The two spires are of different heights and styles, built centuries apart
Location
Coordinates: 48.4477, 1.4879
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