Early Cathedral

This morning Peter and I took a train to the lovely little town of Chartres.  

The Our Lady of Chartres Cathedral began as a Church in the 4^th  century. Over the years it has burned three times, only to be rebuilt on the same place. Built over the site of the first church the Cathedral was rebuilt between 1190 and 1220. A fire in 1836 destroyed the original roof, but the stone work remained unscathed.

We began our tour in the crypt of the church, taking in the original size and structure of the building and the chapels therein.

The Gothic exterior and stained glass windows are treasures to behold. The glass used to create the stained glass windows are original from the 12^th century structure and were created out of glass coloured through a technique that has since been lost. While there would usually be a Mass at 11:00 ad as it was that would not experience Mass here, we were privilege to listen to the organ which was ‘heavenly’.