General view of the cathedral (1194- c.1230)

The cathedral in Chartres was the most important centre of Marian pilgrimage in medieval France and a significant school in the 11th and 12th century, boasting eminent teachers like Fulbert, Bernard and Thierry of Chartres.

West facade

After the fire of 1134 it was decided to erect a new façade for the Romanesque cathedral. Bizarrely, three decorated entrances - the famous Royal Portals - were squeezed between the towers, opening all three in the central nave of the cathedral.

The Royal Portals of the west façade (1145-1155)

Scholars have been puzzled by the bizarre location of the three portals. Were they first destined for another location, or did a change of plans occur during construction? In any case, the tympanums and lintels of the outer portals were cut off to fit in the narrow space, the archivolts were shortened. The Royal Portals and the towers survived the fire from 1194 and were incorporated in the new gothic building.

Figures of the Old Testament on the Royal Portals (1145-1155)

South side of the nave (1194-1210), with topmost flight of flying buttresses added in 1215-1220

The north transept (completed c. 1235)

The decision to keep the Royal Portals on the west front after the fire of 1194 led to the construction of two more portals north and south, on the transept of the new cathedral. These monumental ensembles, divided over three extensively decorated porches on each side, form a coherent iconographic cycle, basically depicting the fundamental role of the Church in the Salvation. The sculptures of the north transept were created between 1204 and 1220.

North transept, detail of the central portal (1205-1210)

Old Testament characters prefigure the sacrifice of Christ.

North transept, detail of the central portal (1205-1210)

The south transept

The central portal of the south transept, depicting the Last Judgment (1210-1215)

The chevet (ca. 1195-1220)

The Saint-Piat chapel on the left was added in the 14th century.

The chevet from SE

Elevation of the nave (1194-1220)

The great novelty of Chartres was not the elevation in three stories, but rather how that elevation was divided into the vertical space: the upper story of windows is just as high as the main arcades (14 meters). The narrow horizontal line of the triforium is exactly in the middle of that elevation. As a result the central nave rises more than twice as high as the aisles, creating a completely different spatial structure.

The nave towards the west façade (1194-1220)

The south aisle

The choir (completed 1220), after its restoration from 2009-2010

The vaults of the choir (before 1220), as restored in 2009-2010

The vaults of the ambulatory, with pinched bays (1200-1210)

The north transept

The rose window of the south transept (1221-1230), the vision of the Apocalypse and the union of the two Testaments