So looking at my older post realised only written on the Cathedral of Chartres, good enough. However, Chartres has a lot more to offer even if pictures are far and few that can find. I like to have it set in my blog the history, architecture of this wonderful city ,and very old sentimental pictures!! Therefore, let me tell you more of Chartres, its more than a cathedral!!
The city of Chartres is located in the dept 28 of Eure et Loir in the Centre Val de Loire region. It is about 125 km from my house; 75 km from Versailles, and 90 km from Paris. Chartres is the seat of the community of agglomeration Chartres Métropole, the first of Eure-et-Loir; it brings together 66 towns. Chartres is traditionally a place of pilgrimage, especially on Palm Sunday for students, as well as Pentecost for the pilgrimage to Christianity. The city is also located on the Via Turonensis of the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. The heart of the city of Chartres is located on the Beauce plateau, on a rocky promontory that surrounds the Eure. The city then extends over a tongue of land bypassed by two arms of the Eure, as well as on a gentle slope on the side opposite the river. The outlines of the old town are delimited by boulevards and a few large squares from which major communication routes start.
No experience here as always by car but the Chartres train/bus station is located at the edge of the town of Mainvilliers. The main rail axis crossing the city is the line from Paris-Montparnasse to Brest; Although no long-distance train has served the station since the LGV Atlantique came into service in 1989, TER Centre-Val de Loire traffic is sustained, with several trips to Paris. The urban bus network Filibus and the interurban bus network, REMI,have no experience here either. However, plenty of good roads, Chartres is served by three main traffic routes of national importance: the national road 10 Paris – Tours – Bordeaux and the national road 154 Rouen – Orléans. The city is linked to the Pays de la Loire and Brittany by the departmental road 923, the route of which begins in Chartres and ends in Paimboeuf. Chartres is also connected to the motorway network by the A11 motorway (Paris – Le Mans – Angers – Nantes) with exits no 2 (Chartres Center / Chartres Est) at Propylées and no 3 (Chartres-Center / Illiers-Combray) at Thivars , both providing access to the metropolitan area of Chartres.
A bit of history I like
Little is known about the urban development of Chartres between the 3C and 10C ; the ancient city seems to have faded in favor of small autonomous villages. The first installations of Christian buildings, attested by some texts, suggest that at the end of the 6C there were numerous religious establishments in Chartres, then run by the bishop. In 743, the city was taken by Hunald duke of Aquitaine and burned. In the 9C, the Normans ravaged the surrounding lands on several occasions and, in June 858, destroyed the city and probably the cathedral, In 876, a donation from Charles II the Bald, the Veil of the Virgin, was at the origin of an important pilgrimage which then makes the wealth of the city and the power of the local religious institutions, During the Renaissance of the 12C, an innovative thought flourished in Chartres, nourished by the rediscovery of Platonism. A spirit which derives directly from the grammatical rigor and scientific curiosity of the teaching of Bernard de Chartres, based on the ancients, and whose remarks on this subject, reported by Jean de Salisbury, have become among the most famous in the world of intellectual history,
In the 16C, despite religious disturbances, the city of Chartres remained faithful to the Catholic worship After having been the prerogative of Charles de Valois, father of Philippe VI, the county of Chartres was erected into a duchy by François I in 1528 for the benefit of Renée of France, Duchess of Ferrara. In 1568, the city was besieged by Louis de Bourbon-Condé, then from February to April 1591, by Henri IV ,Despite the resistance of the city, he was consecrated on February 27, 1594 in the cathedral of Chartres: he was the only king of France sacred in this cathedral Later, Louis XIV gave the Duchy of Chartres to the House of Orleans, whose heir carried, until Louis-Philippe, the title of Duke of Chartres.
During the French revolution, the cathedral was relatively protected, while several Chartres churches were sold, demolished or transformed. At the start of WWII, Jean Moulin, then prefect of Eure-et-Loir, had his first quarrels with the troops of the Third Reich while remaining with the 800 inhabitants who did not take part in the exodus during the battle. de France on June 15, 1940. He left his post in November 1940. The cathedral was saved from destruction on August 16, 1944 thanks to the American colonel Welborn Griffith. The latter questions the order received to destroy the cathedral, its leaders believing that the Nazis were sheltering there. He volunteers to go and check with another volunteer for the presence of Nazis soldiers inside. Noting that the cathedral is empty, he rings the bells to warn of the absence of an enemy. He was killed in action the same day in Lèves, near Chartres. He was posthumously decorated with the Croix de Guerre with palm, the Legion of Honor and the Order of Merit by the French government, as well as the Distinguished Service Cross of the American government , From August 16, 1944, des reconnaissance missions carried out in the region by the 3rd cavalry group of the US Army lead to the liberation of the city at the cost of heavy fighting carried out on August 18 by the 5th infantry division and the 7th American armored division belonging to the 20th Corps of the 3rd United States Army commanded by General George Patton , On August 23, 1944, en route to Rambouillet, which he reached at 18h, and where he had to meet with General Leclerc to finalize the final details of the liberation of Paris, General de Gaulle delivers an address from the steps of the large Post Office in Chartres: “How moved me the magnificent reception of Chartres, Chartres liberated! Chartres on the way to Paris, that is to say on the way to victory! “
Things to see in Chartres are numerous seen most but not all , of course the Notre-Dame Cathedral (see post), Saint-Pierre Church, rue Pétion, Saint-André Church, rue Saint-André, dating from the second half of the 12C, Saint Aignan Church, rue des Grenets, dates from the beginning of the 16C ; the Church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Rechévres, rue de la Paix, and several others.
The old town of Chartres consists of two parts, the upper town around the cathedral and the lower town on the banks of the Eure river . It constitutes a remarkable set of medieval and Renaissance buildings. The Place de la Poissonnerie is a characteristic architectural example of the Maison du Saumon and the Maison de la Truie qui file. The Maison du Saumon was inhabited by Catherine Maubuisson, lady of Borville who was at the head of an important import and export business. Besides the salmon, the facade features an Annunciation and Saint Michael slaying the dragon. The enclosure of Loëns was a group of buildings dependent on the cathedral chapter, which united, outside the cloister, a cellar, an attic, a prison and a common oven. In this enclosure, were stored the tithes and rents paid in kind, and imprisoned the condemned of ecclesiastical justice. It currently houses the International Center for Stained Glass. Of the Episcopal palace which welcomes Henri IV on the occasion of his coronation in 1594, only the outbuildings remain. The central building was erected during the first half of the 18C. The central pavilion of the facade, the Italian room and the chapel were built in the middle of the 18C. The building was abandoned until the city of Chartres made it its museum of fine arts. It was inaugurated in 1939, but was not really opened until 1948. The former Hôtel des Postes in a neo-Gothic style completed in 1928, In 2005, the City of Chartres acquired the building to install its media library after complete interior reconstruction. In 1948, a monument in homage to Jean Moulin was inaugurated thanks to a public subscription the monument represents a fist clenched on a broken sword. The statue, made of pink granite, immortalizes the action of Jean Moulin. A rose bed called “Resurrection” or “Roses of the deportation”, red magenta and pink, dedicated to the women deported to Ravensbrück, surrounds the monument. The Maison Picassiette house (or the House of a Thousand Pieces) is an example of naive architecture made up of glass mosaics and earthenware cast in cement. A route of 15 megaliths, partially covered with mosaics, allows the tourist who visits the house to go to the Picassiette district and to discover the works produced by the inhabitants in the cages of buildings, The theater of Chartres with its foyer-bar recently renovated and its 531-seat Italian-style hall make it a major center of Chartres culture. The Museum of Fine Arts is the main museum in the city. Located in the former episcopal palace, next to the cathedral, The Bishop’s Palace gardens consist of several terraces behind the cathedral, with a view of the city and the lower town. These gardens were the gardens of the former bishopric, today the Museum of Fine Arts.
And for a day in town, we ate with nice memories in the Créperie des Trois Lys, of course Breton specialities near the Porte Guillaume. Its half-timbering and beams undoubtedly give it character; the decoration and the subdued lights take care of the rest … result: a place where you feel infinitely good. Prices are still very good, so enjoy your meal! We sure will be back here. webpage: https://www.creperie-chartres.com/
Some webpages to help you plan your trip and its a must are:
The city of Chartres on its heritage: https://www.chartres.fr/patrimoine/
The Chartres tourist office on its heritage: https://www.chartres-tourisme.com/en
The Eure et Loir dept 28 tourist office on Chartres: https://www.tourisme28.com/experiences/chabadaba-chartres/
There you go folks, a dandy of a town in my belle France, this is Chartres it does has more than a cathedral ! Enjoy the reading of a nice historical and gorgeous architecture town of Chartres. We will be back soon!
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!
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