France. Chartres Cathedral. What to see.

Chartres Cathedral.

83 kilometers from Paris to the southwest, is the quiet French town of Chartres. Here is a landmark famous for its outstanding architecture and history. Her name is Chartres Cathedral. However, everything in order.

Chartres was founded by the Gallic tribe of carnations and was once called the Outrikum. The city was prosperous and did not know grief. But in the first century BC, Julius Caesar strolled around Gaul with his invincible legions. After this event, the cartographers rewrote the boundaries of the Roman Empire.

Autocrum.

But this did not bring the expected decline in the development of the city. After the soldiers came builders and began to rebuild the city in a fashionable for that time style: "under Rome".

Autocrum has become the provincial center of the former Galician lands. This event led to its further flourishing. This was reflected in the development of the city's infrastructure. At Autrikum, at that time, the most modern sewerage and water supply system was built. There was also an amphitheater here.

Such a favorable situation for the city lasted until 275. That year the title of the capital of Gaul went to Orleans. At that time it also meant that now. That is not only the transfer to Orleans of all officials of regional rank, but also the transfer of finance. For Autocrum began a heavy routine. This situation continued until the 9th century.

"Protection of the Mother of God".

In 858, the provincial city was burnt by the Normans. The local cathedral also suffered from the fire. With the latter, the fate of the city has carried communication until our days. The thing is that King Karl Bald was very concerned about the destruction of the city. And in order to speed up his recovery, he gave the townspeople a valuable relic - "Protection of the Mother of God."

It was a very revered Christian relic. According to tradition, the Virgin Mary was at the time of the birth of Christ. This gift had a really good service to the city. Finding here a relic has led to the appearance in it of numerous pilgrims. The latter not only prayed, but also helped to restore the temple and the city.

In 911, the Normans, again besieged the city of Chartres. And here was the first miracle attributed to the relic. The defense of the city was commanded by Bishop Gandelm. During the next assault by the normals of the defensive walls, he ordered the use of the relic as a banner.

The effect was amazing. Vikings immediately retreated and lifted the siege of the city. History has not kept any explanation for this situation by the Normans themselves. But the defenders of Chartres took root in the opinion of the great power of the relic.

The news of the miracle, accomplished in Chartres, scattered all over France as quickly as possible. The number of pilgrims to the Christian shrine has increased at times.

Also, the flow of donations to the temple has increased dramatically. The city again began to expand and grow rich. The welfare situation continued until 1194. In that year, a misfortune occurred. Lightning struck the temple and it completely burned down.

Fire.

And then the second miracle happened. A few days after the fire, a casket was found on the fireplace. Inside of him was a relic untouched by fire. A new message about the miracle accomplished by the Virgin Mary left another deep imprint in the hearts of the French Catholics.

The official church immediately interpreted this miracle. It was presented as a divine message to believers. And its purpose was, the divine sting to see a new temple in this place. As a consequence, actions to raise funds for a charitable cause were held throughout France.

According to unconfirmed reports, significant funding for this project was provided by the Knights Templar. The temple was to be built of stone. Already in 1220 the main building was erected. For those years it was very fast.

But the finishing works were completed in 1260. In the same year, in the presence of the presence of the royal family, Chartres Cathedral was consecrated and named after the Virgin Mary. It is in this form that it has survived to this day. This makes it one of the oldest Gothic structures in the world.

Revolution.

In the time of the French Revolution, Chartres Cathedral suffered difficult times. In those years, the French revolutionaries were really going to destroy the cathedral. By this event they wanted to save believers from cheating churchmen.

Why this did not happen I do not know. Maybe this is another miracle of the Mother of God. True, it was not possible to completely avoid losses in those troubled times. So in the temple was destroyed the ancient statue of the Virgin and many Catholic relics were lost.

What to see.

The truth remains in the shrine much more that you can see and take pictures. Today the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Chartres is the most well-preserved cathedral of medieval Europe. His main relic - Holy clothing of Our Lady has survived to this day.

You will not be able to verify this yourself, since some time ago it was placed in the repository. Maybe someday it will be brought back to the cathedral and this will be another miracle of it.

The cathedral itself is unique with architectural elements from the 12th and 13th centuries, which have not changed much since its erection. There are also unique stained-glass windows, amazing with its pristine appearance.

The cathedral, built by the whole world, has so far retained, on the elements given to it, the names of merchants and artisans who donated.

From April to September in Chartres held a "celebration of light." This event begins with the end of the day and is a very colorful spectacle. Therefore, if you are in Chartres with an overnight stay, be sure to attend the event.

In total, almost three dozen houses and several bridges take part in the night light show. And the main lighting center in this holiday is just Chartres Cathedral.

Chartres. Hotels and rates.

We live once, and you need to see so much!

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