Coordinates: 48°27′21″N 1°29′03″E / 48.455847°N 1.484184°E
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Commune of Chartres |
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| Location | |
  Chartres
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| Administration | |
|---|---|
| Country | France |
| Region | Centre |
| Department | Eure-et-Loir |
| Arrondissement | Chartres |
| Intercommunality | Chartres Métropole |
| Mayor | Jean-Pierre Gorges (2008–2014) |
| Statistics | |
| Elevation | 121–161 m (397–528 ft) (avg. 142 m/466 ft) |
| Land area1 | 16.85 km2 (6.51 sq mi) |
| Population2 | 40,361 (1999) |
| - Density | 2,395 /km2 (6,200 /sq mi) |
| Miscellaneous | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 28085/ 28000 |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
| 2 Population sans doubles comptes: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. | |
Chartres (French pronunciation: [ʃaʀtʀ]) is a town and commune and capital of the Eure-et-Loir department in north-central France. It is located 96 km (60 mi) southwest of Paris.
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Chartres is built on the left bank of the Eure River, on a hill crowned by its famous cathedral, the spires of which are a landmark in the surrounding country. To the south-east stretches the fruitful plain of Beauce, the "granary of France", of which the town is the commercial centre.
Chartres was one of the principal towns of the Carnutes, and by the Romans was called Autricum, from the river Autura (Eure), and afterwards civitas Carnutum. The name "Chartres" derives from "Carnutes". It was burnt by the Normans in 858, and unsuccessfully besieged by them in 911.
During the Middle Ages it was the chief town of Beauce, and gave its name to a countship which was held by the counts of Blois and Champagne and afterwards by the house of Châtillon, a member of which in 1286 sold it to the crown. It was raised to the rank of a duchy in 1528 by Francis I. After the time of Louis XIV the title of duke of Chartres was hereditary in the family of Orléans.
In 1417 it fell into the hands of the English, from whom it was recovered in 1432. It became seat of a Duchy in 1528. During the Wars of Religion, it was attacked unsuccessfully by the Protestants in 1568, and was taken in 1591 by Henry IV, who was crowned there three years afterwards.
In the Franco-Prussian War it was seized by the Germans on 2 October 1870, and continued during the rest of the Campaign an important centre of operations.
The city suffered heavy damage by bombing in the course of World War II.
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The arms of Chartres are blazoned : |
The town is best known for the Cathedral of Chartres (French: Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres), widely considered to be the finest Gothic cathedral in France. Its historical and cultural importance is recognized by its inclusion on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. Its construction started in 1205, following the destruction of the old cathedral of Chartres. Construction took 66 years.
The abbey church of St.Pierre, dating chiefly from the thirteenth century, contains, besides some fine stained glass, twelve representations of the apostles in enamel, created about 1547 by Léonard Limosin. Of the other churches of Chartres also noteworthy are St Aignan (13th, 16th and 17th centuries) and St Martin-au-Val (twelfth century).
The surrounding city financed the stained glass windows.
The Eure River, which at this point divides into three branches, is crossed by several bridges, some of them ancient, and is fringed in places by remains of the old fortifications, of which the Porte Guillaume (14th century), a gateway flanked by towers, is the most complete specimen. The steep, narrow streets of the old town contrast with the wide, shady boulevards which encircle it and divide it from the suburbs. The Cbs St Jean, a pleasant park, lies to the north-west, and squares and open spaces are numerous.
The hotel de ville, a building of the 17th century, containing a museum and library, an older hotel de ville of the 13th century, and several medieval and Renaissance houses, are of interest. There is a statue of General F. S. Marceau-Desgraviers (b. 1769), a native of the town.
Chartres is one of the most important market towns in the region of Beauce (known as "the granary of France").
The game pies and other delicacies of Chartres are well known, and the industries also include flour-milling, brewing, distilling, iron-founding, leather manufacture, perfumes, dyeing, and the manufacture of electronic equipments, car accessories, stained glass, billiard requisites and hosiery.
Chartres is home to two semi-professional association football clubs; FC Chartres, who play in the French sixth division, and HB Chartres, who play in the seventh tier.
The town is the seat of a bishop, a prefecture, and a court of assizes. It has tribunals of first instance and of commerce, a chamber of commerce, training colleges, a high school for boys, a communal college for girls, and a branch of the Bank of France.
Chartres has been a site of Christian pilgrimage since the Middle Ages. The poet Charles Péguy (1873–1914) revived the pilgrimage route between Paris and Chartres before the First World War. After the war, some students carried on the pilgrimage in his memory. Since the 1980s, the association Notre-Dame de Chrétienté <http://www.nd-chretiente.com>, with offices in Versailles, has organized the annual 100 km (62 mi) pilgrimage on foot from the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris to the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Chartres. About 15,000 pilgrims, mostly young families from all over France, participate every year.
Notable bishops of Chartres:
Chartres was the birthplace of:
Chartres is twinned with:
Ravenna in Italy (since 1957)
Speyer in Germany (since 1959)
Chichester in the United Kingdom (since 1959)
Bethlehem in Palestinian Authority (since 1995) [1][2]
Évora in Portugal (since 2003)
Cusco in Peru (since 1989) [3]
 17th-Century engraving of Chartres "skyline" |
 The Cathedral of Chartres |
 The Apostles and Saint Sculptures of Chartres |
 The Old Town - River Eure |
 Half-timbered house in the Old Town |
 Hill of St. François |
 View south from the Cathedral |
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Chartres [1] is a small city in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France, approximately an hour south-west of Paris by train. Population is 42,000 although that rises to 100,000 when the surrounding towns are taken into consideration. The main attraction for most visitors to Chartres is the 12th century cathedral, considered by many art historians to be the finest surviving example from the High Gothic period. In the last couple of years a new mayor has overseen the modernization of the center of the town. There has provoked both positive and negative reactions from the "Chartrains", but there is no doubt that the town is undergoing a certain renewal.
From central Paris, take the A10, followed by the A11 - a driving distance of 91 km (57 miles). It's also possible to take the A13 (towards Rouen) and then at the Traingle de Rocqencourt to head south on the A12 to Trappes and the RN10. The RN10 is the "old" road from Paris to Chartres (and beyond) and there is no toll. Most of it is dual carriageway, although there are a few tricky 3 lane sections. Usually doesn't take any longer than the motorway and both arrive side-by-side in Chartres.
There are many daily direct trains from and to Paris Montparnasse. The journey to Chartres averages just over an hour each way and costs €36.20 1st class, €24.20 2nd class. Prices do vary depending on when you buy your ticket- last-minute departures cost more. Try to take one of the double-decked TER trains if possible, because they are more comfortable, and you have better views of the lovely countryside.
The SNCF station in Chartres has a good news kiosk, and sometimes there is a small cafe open. Bathrooms at the station are open intermittently, but you can find bathrooms in many other places around the city.
There are few "direct" trains and these are at commuter times. Therefore they are quite often "packed" and at peak-time prices. Most trains are direct from Paris to Rambouillet and then they stop at every station to Chartres. Travel time for one of those is 1 hour 15 minutes. Some trains stop only at Epernon and Maintenon (the small chateau is well worth a trip) and these manage the journey in 1 hour. All trains from Paris to Chartres (and beyond to Nogent le Rotrou and Le Mans) are TER (Train Express Régional)
More often than not, you will be taking the "Paris - Chartres - Nogent le Rotrou - Le Mans" line. The front of the train could read EITHER "Chartres", "Nogent le Rotrou", or "Le Mans," as these 3 cities always have the terminus.
If you are in France for a long period of time, it is worth it to buy an SNCF Fidelity card. For people 25 and under there is "La carte 12-25" where one can save up to 75% on ticket prices. There are also cards available for seniors and special vacation passes. These cards are only worth it when travelling extensively through France.
Free maps and information can be obtained from the great tourist information center. They are very helpful and friendly, and the center is on the road between the train station and cathedral. It is near the cathedral, on the north side of the gravel square in front of the cathedral.
For basic needs, there is a medium-sized Monoprix store located in the pedestrian area at the top of the hill. They sell groceries and other items useful for budget travellers.
There is a food market in the Place Billard every Saturday morning. Some professional traders, but plenty of local producers.
Stray away from the touristy areas for delicious meals. Next to the Hôtel de Ville de Chartres you can find some wonderful brasseries.
Chartres has many small, wonderful restaurants at reasonable prices, especially compared to Paris. Of course, the establishments closest to the SNCF station are the more expensive ones.
There is an awesome macaroon store at the south end of the main town square, and the pedestrian-only streets heading to the west from the town square have many excellent patisseries and boulangeries.
When in Chartres, you should try some of the local brew, a beer called Eurelienne. There are 3 sorts - white (blanche), "blonde" and red (rousse). It is brewed just outside town, in Chandres, by a local farmer and the "brewery" can be visited during the first weekend of every month. Unfortunately, the beer is difficult to find, although some shops do a "tourist" package. Strangely, enough, it can be bought in a "Gamme Vert" garden center (behind the theatre) !
There is a beer called "Bière de Chartres", but although the recipe and ingredients are local, it is brewed in the north of France. Some bars, including the bar of the Grand Monarque, do have it on tap.
If you want to check out where to sleep, surf the net!
Chartres does suffer from a lack of hotels so it is definitely worth booking in advance. Below are a few hotels in the center. There are a few on the ring road to the west and south of town.
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| Chartres by |
| 1909 from Artemis to Actaeon |
I
Immense, august, like some Titanic bloom,
The mighty choir unfolds its lithic core,
Petalled with panes of azure, gules and or,
Splendidly lambent in the Gothic gloom,
And stamened with keen flamelets that illume
The pale high-altar. On the prayer-worn floor,
By surging worshippers thick-thronged of yore,
A few brown crones, familiars of the tomb,
The stranded driftwood of Faith's ebbing sea--
For these alone the finials fret the skies,
The topmost bosses shake their blossoms free,
While from the triple portals, with grave eyes,
Tranquil, and fixed upon eternity,
The cloud of witnesses still testifies.
II
The crimson panes like blood-drops stigmatize
The western floor. The aisles are mute and cold.
A rigid fetich in her robe of gold
The Virgin of the Pillar, with blank eyes,
Enthroned beneath her votive canopies,
Gathers a meagre remnant to her fold.
The rest is solitude; the church, grown old,
Stands stark and gray beneath the burning skies.
Wellnigh again its mighty frame-work grows
To be a part of nature's self, withdrawn
From hot humanity's impatient woes;
The floor is ridged like some rude mountain lawn,
And in the east one giant window shows
The roseate coldness of an Alp at dawn.
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This work is in the public domain in
the United States because it was published before
January 1, 1923.
The author died in 1937, so this work is also in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 70 years or less. This work may also be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works. |
CHARTRES, a city of north-western France, capital of the department of Eure-et-Loir, 55 m. S.W. of Paris on the railway to Le Mans. Pop. (1906) 19,433. Chartres is built on the left bank of the Eure, on a hill crowned by its famous cathedral, the spires of which are a landmark in the surrounding country. To the south-east stretches the fruitful plain of Beauce, "the granary of France," of which the town is the commercial centre. The Eure, which at this point divides into three branches, is crossed by several bridges, some of them ancient, and is fringed in places by remains of the old fortifications, of which the Porte Guillaume (14th century), a gateway flanked by towers, is the most complete specimen. The steep, narrow streets of the old town contrast with the wide, shady boulevards which encircle it and divide it from the suburbs. The Clos St Jean, a pleasant park, lies to the north-west, and squares and open spaces are numerous. The cathedral of Notre-Dame (see Architecture: Romanesque and Gothic Architecture in France; and Cathedral), one of the finest Gothic churches in France, was founded in the 11 th century by Bishop Fulbert on the site of an earlier church destroyed by fire. In 1194 another conflagration laid waste the new building then hardly completed; but clergy and people set zealously to work, and the main part of the present structure was finished by 1240. Though there have been numerous minor additions and alterations since that time, the general character of the cathedral is unimpaired. The upper woodwork was consumed by fire in 1836, but the rest of the building was saved. The statuary of the lateral portals, the stained glass of the 13th century, and the choir-screen of the Renaissance are all unique from the artistic standpoint. The cathedral is also renowned for the beauty and perfect proportions of its western towers. That to the south, the Clocher Vieux (351 ft. high), dates from the 12th century; its upper portion is lower and less rich in design than that of the Clocher Neuf (377 ft.), which was not completed till the 16th century. In length the cathedral measures 440 ft., its choir measures 150 ft. across, and the height of the vaulting is 1 21 ft. The abbey church of St Pierre, dating chiefly from the 1 3 th century, contains, besides some fine stained glass, twelve representations of the apostles in enamel, executed about 1 547 by Leonard Limosin. Of the other churches of Chartres the chief are St Aignan (13th, 16th and 17th centuries) and St Martin-auVal (12th century). The hotel de ville, a building of the 17th century, containing a museum and library, an older hotel de Tulle of the 13th century, and several medieval and Renaissance houses, are of interest. There is a statue of General F. S. Marceau-Desgraviers (b. 1769), a native of the town.
The town is the seat of a bishop, a prefecture, a court of assizes, and has tribunals of first instance and of commerce, a chamber of commerce, training colleges, a lycee for boys, a communal college for girls, and a branch of the Bank of France. Its trade is carried on chiefly on market-days, when the peasants of the Beauce bring their crops and live-stock to be sold and make their purchases. The game-pies and other delicacies of Chartres are well known, and the industries also include flour-milling, brewing, distilling, iron-founding, leather manufacture, dyeing, and the manufacture of stained glass, billiard requisites, hosiery, &c.
Chartres was one of the principal towns of the Carnutes, and by the Romans was called Autricum, from the river Autura (Eure), and afterwards civitas Carnutum. It was burnt by the Normans in 858, and unsuccessfully besieged by them in 911. In 1417 it fell into the hands of the English, from whom it was recovered in 1432. It was attacked unsuccessfully by the Protestants in 1568, and was taken in 1591 by Henry IV., who was crowned there three years afterwards. In the Franco-German War it was seized by the Germans on the 21st of October 1870, and continued during the rest of the campaign an important centre of operations. During the middle ages it was the chief town of the district of Beauce, and gave its name to a countship which was held by the counts of Blois and Champagne and afterwards by the house of Chatillon, a member of which in 1286 sold it to the crown. It was raised to the rank of a duchy in 1528 by Francis I. After the time of Louis XIV. the title of duke of Chartres was hereditary in the family of Orleans.
See M. T. Bulteau, Monographie de la cathe'drale de Chartres (1887); A. Plerval, Chartres, sa cathe'drale, ses monuments (1896); H. J. L. J. Masse, Chartres: its Cathedral and Churches (1900).
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Categories: CHA-CHA | Archaeological sites
   | City council website - Bienvenue sur le site de la ville de Chartres |
| | Tourist office website - Chartres, ville de lumières | Office de tourisme de Chartres (28) |
| | Website about archaeological excavations - chartres-coeur-de-ville.com |
| | La Maison Picassiette in Chartres - La Maison Picassiette, Chartres, France |
| | Chartres and the Chartres Cathedral - Visitor Guide - Chartres and the Chartres Cathedral - Visitor Guide |
| | Video of Chartres Cathedral - by -- Revver Online Video Sharing Network |
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