Chartres Cathedral - one of the greatest creations of mankind

In the northern part of France, 90 kilometers from Paris, is a small French town of Chartres. It is here that one of the famous buildings is the Chartres Cathedral. Its location is considered sacred and has a rich history. The development of the city of Chartres began around the first century AD. At the same time, the first Catholic church was built here. After a short time in the city appeared a holy relic - the covering of the Mother of God, which was originally kept by the French King Carl Lissoy.

After numerous fires in the city, the king donated this relic to the cathedral, in the hope that this way it will bring more benefits by its miraculous power. Historical chronicles confirm the presence of this force in the Virgin Mary's cover, according to them, one of the miracles occurred in 911 during the siege of the city by the Normans. Seeing the desperate situation, the Chartres bishop hung a sacred veil on the city wall, praying for help to the holy Virgin Mary. The Normans, despite their large numbers, fled.

The second miracle was observed in 1194, when the cathedral in Chartres, where the cover is located, was burned and practically destroyed. Only the casket in which the sacred relic was located, somehow completely did not suffer. On the site of the destroyed cathedral a new one was built - Notre-Dame de Chartres. In the presence of King Louis IX in 1260, the consecration of the new structure was effected. It was the first cathedral in France, with the protection of the Virgin Mary. He has not lost his primacy to this day.

The cathedral itself is a structure built of solid sandstone, whose blocks reach three meters in length and meters in height. Chartres Cathedral occupies a territory of 130 meters in length. The main vault of the nave is 36 meters high. At the western entrance are set snow-white statues of kings and queens, ruling earlier in this city. A considerable interest in tourists is caused by four windows located above the western entrance. They are decorated with magnificent stained-glass windows, which are distinguished by a variety of subjects of images and purity of colors.

The interior of the cathedral is also rich in stained glass. There are 146 stained glass windows depicting the main figures and 1359 - with various small stories from the biblical covenants, from the life of kings, craftsmen. On the facades of the cathedral there are huge round lacy windows.

Chartres Cathedral has two towers. The northern tower with a spire in the Gothic style was built in 1135. Its height is 114 meters. South - reconstructed in 1195. Its height is 116 meters. It is considered one of the most beautiful church towers in the world. In addition to the above, the cathedral has 10 thousand sculptural structures that decorate both the exterior and the inside of the building.

Another value, which is famous Chartres Cathedral, is a wooden altar, decorated with all kinds of carvings on biblical themes. It is known from historical records that the manufacture of such an altar was spent more than two centuries. Until the 18th century, in the cathedral, in addition to the cover, another relic was kept - the head of the Mother of God, Saint Anna. And also a statuette of the Virgin Mary with a child under her heart. These relics were considered sacred. They burned in the fire.

In addition, the cathedral still holds the Hebrew encrypted letter, with the help of which religious ritual phrases were recorded. Similar encrypted symbols can be seen in many corners of the cathedral.

In a word, Chartres (France) is the place where every tourist who has visited this country should visit. After all, the cathedral is one of the greatest creations of the European, Gothic and Christian culture in general. It is this structure that is compared with the encyclopedia.