Houses of Prayer: Cathedrals
unit by Dr. Deborah Vess
Click here for a copy of the class outline
The cathedral of Chartres was built in honor of the Virgin Mary to house one of her holy relics, the Sancta Camisia. Medieval sources vary on its exact relationship to Mary; some sources maintain that Mary wore it when Gabriel announced the coming birth of Christ (annunciation, while other sources maintain that Mary wore it when she gave birth to Christ.
The Byzantine Empress Irene gave the holy cloak to Charles the Bald, King of the Franks, in 876 C.E. It was given to Chartres, not to Notre Dame in Paris, as Notre Dame was not yet built. According to legends, the cloak survived many fires at Chartres, and was carried out three days after a catyclismic fire by the Bishop of Chartes completely unharmed. This was taken as a sign that a new and beautiful cathedral should be built for the virgin.
The Holy Cloak drew many pilgrims to Chartres, including the English King Henry V. After his decisive victory at Agincourt in 1415, Henry had negotiated the Treaty of Troyes with France in 1420, which made his heirs the successors to the French throne.
Let's take a walk through the cathedral of Chartres. We will begin with the west facade.
The West Facde
The West Facade is the main entrance to Chartres. The Royal Portal is here, and above it are the four west windows which will be discussed below.
The Royal Portal
Patronage (funding) for The Royal Portal was donated by a king of France. It has three doors, three being symbolic of the number of persons in the Christian Trinity.
The Windows of the West Facade
The Jesse Window depicts the lineage of Christ from Jesse. Jesse is lying at the bottom of the window, dressed in a Jewish cap. The tree of life sprouts from his groin, the center of human fertility. The tree is green, a color which denotes growth and renewal, which is a fitting symbol of Christ's renewal of the human race through his sacrifice. The tree grows up through Mary to Christ, who is seated at the top of the tree. Christ is surrounded by seven doves, which represent the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. Also, remember that the number seven is symbolic of the completion and perfection of the cosmos, as it is the sum of four, which represents the perfection of the material world, and three, which represents the perfection of the spiritual world. There are also seven prophets on either side of Christ, and represent revealed truth coming from God through the line of human prophets and culminating in the person of Christ.Click here for detail of the window showing Christ at the top surrounded by the seven doves.
The Incarnation Window, bottom center, tells the story of Christ's life on earth. (no further commentary here)
The Passion and Resurrection Window, bottom right, tells the story of Christ's crucifixion and resurrection. (no further commentary here)
The Rose Window or Judgment Window, top, depicts Christ in the act of judgment
The rose window on the west facade symbolizes the completion of the cosmos as seen in the person of Christ. There are three concentric rings of circles on the window, each with twelve circles in it. Remember the symbolism of the number 3, and also of the number 12. Here, the number 12 signifies the union of heaven and earth through the person of Christ, and also of the Old Testament (12 tribes of Israel) with the New Testament (12 Apostles). Christ, who sprang from Jesse's line (old Testament and Jewish law), brings with him a new covenant (12 apostles). Here, the Old and New Testaments are harmonized, and heaven (three rings) is harmonized with earth (symbolized by the twelve circles in each ring) through Christ's redemption of mankind. Now let's go in the Cathedral. As we enter the nave, the first thing we see is the labyrinth.
The Labyrinth
The labyrinth at Chartres is near the entrance of the West Facade, and is one of the few and best-preserved labyrinths in Europe. It symbolized the pilgrim's journey of faith, and pilgrims often walked it on their knees. There are no dead ends in the labyrinth, and although one goes forwards and backwards, and twists and turns, one ultimately winds up in the center. The center symbolizes the union of the human soul with God, and of the ultimate goal of each pilgrim's journey through life. Just as in life one has pleasant times and jas well as difficult times, so too, in one's journey of faith there are bounteous rewards reached only after many trials and tribulations. The labyrinth is a journey of hope, which carries the pilgrim, no matter which path they take, to one's center with God.
If you would like to further explore labyrinths, check out the following sites:
has a brief history of labyrinths, and some examples.
Grace Cathedral Labyrinth Locator
find one near you!
The Nave
The word "nave" comes from the Latin word for ship, "navis." The cathedral symbolizes the Church, which is the ship which ferries souls from this life to the next. As you look down the nave, notice how your eye travels upward. The pointed arches and high vaulted ceilings are characteristic of the Gothic style. The height of the ceilings, as well as the multi-colored light which pours in through the many windows of Chartres, transport one to another level of consciousness and symbolically closer to the divine. Among the interesting aspects of the nave are the labyrinth and the choir. The sculptures around the choir took 200 years to complete, and there are 41 of them. They include scenes of the annunciation and baptism of Christ.
Near the choir and the south portal is the blue virgin window. This is probably the most famous window in Chartres, and one of the most famous stained glass windows in all of Europe. It is known for its beautiful and vibrant colors. The Virgin is shown with the Christ child seated on her lap; angels surround them with censers (incense devices). The color blue symbolizes divinity. Mary, who was a human, is usually a different shade of blue than Christ, who was fully divine and also fully human. The different shades of blue signify Christ's full-fledged divinity, while Mary was not divine but gave birth to a divine being.
Below this scene are scenesof the devil's temptations. These are not shown in the slides. Here is a detailed image of the virgin and Christ child. If we could symbolically walk backwards now through the nave, we would return to the west facade and to the judgement window which depcits Christ as Alpha and Omega, as the beginning and as the end. And so we reach the end of our virtual tour of Chartres and, symbolically, of our lives on earth.
For further exploration, try the following sites:
Other resources on Chartres
Medieval Chartres:Plans and Drawings
Medieval Architecture: High Gothic - Chartres
Chartres Cathedral: A Royal Geographic Society Electronic Guide
Chartres Cathedral - Chartres, France - Great Buildings Online
Links to Web Sites on Other Cathedrals and Abbey Churches
Spectacular multimedia tour of Amiens. This is THE site for exploring a medieval cathedral.
CanterburyThe Online Guide to Canterbury
Discovery of an Anglo Saxon Cathedral under Canterbury
From Current Archaeology
in Washington, D.C.
Click on "inside Ely Cathedral"
Virtual tour of Durham Cathedral
Medieval Art and Architecture: Winchester Cathedral
My personal favorite cathedral in England. See alsoSee also The Official York Minster Web Site and Dr. Vess's virtual tour of York: layers of history.
This is a fabulous site with links to images of many cathedrals and their windows, including Notre Dame and Canterbury.
Library of Congress Quicktime VR Panoramic View of Notre Dame are you ready for this? It is really neat!
General Medieval Resources
This is THE medieval studies site.
Chaucer and the Canterbury Tales
We studied pilgrimages to Chartres and to Canterbury; now go study Chaucer's famous Canterbury Tales, as well as his life and times.
ORB: The Online Reference Book for Medieval Studies
Paul Halsall's Medieval Sourcebook
copyright © Dr. Deborah Vess 1998-2001, Georgia College & State University and the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. All rights reserved. Rights to chapters authored by contributing faculty members reserved to Georgia College & State University, to the Interdisciplinary Studies Program at GC&SU, and to the individual faculty authors.