More Pictures-- Chartres

Chartres they say is the purest example of Gothic cathedral architecture because it was built over just fifty years during the Gothic hey day so no other styles had time to infiltrate. Fifty years is a really short time in comparison to other medieval cathedrals, particularly Notre Dame de Paris that took 100 years to build. So, how could they build the cathedral so quickly? The cathedral housed a relic, a veil that Mary wore during the birth of Christ. The Cathedral was destroyed by fire, along with much of the town, due to a lightening strike, but miraculously the veil was not damaged and was found in the rubble. This caused such a spiritual fervor that the city quickly built a masterpiece to house the garment. The reason I loved it was because I think it is one of the most spiritually vibrant cathedrals I have seen. You really can feel the spirit of the cathedral as you think of all the serfs and villagers who watched the cathedral burn and then, because of vigorous faith, spent their lives rebuilding it. And as a warning I took many, many pictures here so there are a lot following.