And I was back to the venerable Chartres! Many years long ago we used to come here a lot from our home in Versailles; then we stop. Several years went by and I decided to make it a run again as a memorable trip without my dear late wife Martine. I am glad to found me pictures in my cd rom vault that should be in my blog for you and me, There is so much to see here indeed. Therefore, here is my take on the Church Saint Aignan of Chartres !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
The Church Saint-Aignan owes its name to the Bishop of Orléans around 400, when a pre-Romanesque church already stood there, later replaced by other churches that suffered fires in the 12C and again in 1262. Saint-Aignan was the parish of the Counts of Blois and Chartres. Of the eleven parishes that existed in Chartres before the French revolution, it is the only one to have been reestablished. The Restoration restored it to worship in 1822.
The crypt, well-lit by windows opening onto Rue Saint-Pierre, dates from the late 15C, but the current dates from the early 16C. The small portal of the north aisle bears the date 1541. The turret on the left dates from the 16-17C. It is connected to the main building by a flying buttress supporting a staircase that dates from the 1541 project. The second-floor gallery was not built until 1625, under Louis XIII.
Polychrome frescoes from the 19C, which cover the nave, the choir, the vault, and the wall of the west portal, give this church a very distinctive appearance. The upper floor of the church is lit by white stained-glass windows with enameled borders ; placed in the choir in 1625, and in the nave in 1630. The medallions depict the coats of arms and emblems of those who contributed to their creation. They were restored around 1895.The axial Chapel is dedicated to the Virgin; it is framed by two stained-glass windows from 1857: Baptismal Font Chapel: stained-glass window of scattered fragments Former Saint-Étienne Chapel: stained-glass window of scattered fragments from 1566, Former Sainte-Anne Chapel: stained-glass window of the episcopate of Saint-Aignan; Sacred Heart Chapel: stained-glass window of the Crucifixion 1949; Saint-Michel Chapel: Renaissance vault, three stained-glass windows: The fight of the archangel Saint Michael against Lucifer from 1547; “Ego absolvo”, lower left window; “Jean-Marie Vianney”, lower right window. Givès and Bouvart Chapel: three stained-glass windows, including one bearing the coat of arms of the Harcourt family, Saint-Joseph Chapel: stained-glass window from 1865; Chapel of Saints Roch and Christopher: stained-glass window of the Passion of Christ, Simon of Cyrene helping Jesus carry the cross, from 1543. Access chapel to the old cemetery: walled door, skull-shaped keystones, stained-glass window of the Crucifixion of Saint Peter from the 17C ; tympanum, and Saints Paul, Bartholomew, Andrew, and Saturninus.
Paintings: The Baptism of Christ, oil on canvas, 4th quarter of the 17C; The Rest in Egypt or The Virgin at the Spring, oil on canvas, Italian school, 16C; The Holy Family, oil on canvas, 4th quarter of the 16C; Christ in the Garden of Olives, oil on canvas, French school, 16C; Christ before Pilate, oil on canvas, 1630, moved to the Museum of Fine Arts in ChartresThe oldest stained-glass windows date from the 16C, but many were damaged during the Siege of Chartres in 1568, during the Second French War of Religion. Despite this destruction, the building still features a collection of 20 stained-glass windows. The most recent stained-glass windows were created in the late 19C, The organ was built by Joseph Merklin at the end of the 19C. In 1969, this instrument was electrified by the Danion-Gonzalez firm, and its composition was modified.
The City of Chartres began restoration work in September 2025. The study will be completed in 2026 and will provide guidance for a future program of additional work. Stay tune for more,
A bit of history tell us that tradition holds that the church built in400 by Aignan d’Orléans, of which nothing remains, was the saint’s burial place. Considered the oldest parish church in the city, the church was founded by Saint-Aignan, Bishop of Chartres, who, according to tradition, was buried there. Squeezed between the now-vanished castle of the Counts of Chartres and the rampart rebuilt in the 9C, it became the city’s first parish church in the late Middle Ages and remains its oldest. It was rebuilt in the 14C in Gothic style, as evidenced by the main portal, the only vestige from this period.
The Chartres tourist office on the Church Saint Aignan : https://www.chartres-tourisme.com/explorez/patrimoine-religieux/eglise-saint-aignan
The City of Chartres on its churches, see Saint Aignan : https://www.chartres.fr/patrimoine-historique/les-eglises-de-chartres
The official Notre Dame Cathedral on the Church Saint Aignan : https://www.cathedrale-chartres.org/paroisse/clochers/paroisse-saint-aignan/
There you go folks, a wonderful re visit to a great town of my belle France, Chartres! There is more to take you several days here me think, we will be back ,eventually, For now enjoy this wonderful church as we did. Again, hope you enjoy this post on the Church Saint Aignan of Chartres !!! as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health , and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 