Notre-Dame de Chartres
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How it came to be
A cathedral at Chartres is first mentioned in a text of 743, and the churches on the site burned repeatedly, including at the hands of Danish pirates in 858. In 876 Charles the Bald gave the cathedral the Sancta Camisa, a tunic said to be the Virgin Mary's; the cathedral remains a major pilgrimage site dedicated to her. After a fire in 1020 Bishop Fulbert built a new cathedral, dedicated in 1030.
Work on a new west front began around 1145, but on 10 June 1194 a fire destroyed everything except the crypt, the towers and that façade. The nave and choir were rebuilt quickly, with the roof in place by 1220, and the stained glass was made between about 1210 and 1250. The cathedral was consecrated again in October 1260 in the presence of King Louis IX.
The north spire was rebuilt in Flamboyant style in 1513 and reaches 113 m. A fire in 1836 destroyed the wooden roof, which was replaced from 1837 with an iron frame, while the stained glass survived. The whole building has been a listed historic monument since 1862, and UNESCO inscribed it in 1979.
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