Historical
and Commemorative Medals
Collection of Benjamin Weiss
CHARTRES CATHEDRAL WIENER, Jacques: France, 1861, Bronze, 59 mm The Cathedral of Chartres (Cathédrale Notre-Dame de
Chartres), located in the town of Chartres, about 50 miles from Paris, is
considered to be one of the finest examples in all France of the Gothic
style of architecture. Construction of the building on Romanesque
foundations was begun in 1145, but a fire in 1194 destroyed all but the west
front of the cathedral along with much of the town. The body of the
cathedral was rebuilt and was dedicated in the presence of King Louis IX and
his family in 1260. The outstanding features of the building are the
magnificent stained glass windows. Dating from the early 13th century, the
glass largely escaped harm during the religious wars of the 16th century and
it is said to constitute one of the most complete collections of medieval
stained glass in the world. Soon after it was built, the cathedral became the most
important building in the town of Chartres. It was the center of the
economy, the most famous landmark and the center of almost every activity
which is provided by civic buildings in towns today. In the Middle Ages, the
cathedral functioned sometimes as a marketplace, with the different portals
of the basilica selling different items. It also functioned as an important
cathedral school, a practice initiated by Charlemagne in the ninth century
as a system to educate the French people. LINK to
Painting of Chartres
Cathedral by Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot LINK to
History of
Chartres Cathedral (from wikipedia)
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