Categories: Day-Trips from Paris, Loire Valley
This episode features our frequent and very popular guest Elyse Rivin. If you enjoy her episodes, please consider supporting her on Patreon.
This week we take you to the world-famous Gothic Chartres Cathedral, one of the oldest UNESCO World Heritage Sites in France, and a place where the blue stained-glass windows will surely take your breath away. We discuss the circumstances surrounding the building of this Cathedral in the 1200s, the pilgrimage that brought hundreds of thousands to this church over the last 800 years, and how you can visit it on an easy 6-hour day-trip from Paris. You've heard Elyse make reference to it many times on the podcast, now you should consider going to see it for yourself!
Episode Highlights
- How you can visit Chartres on a Day-Trip from Paris
- One of the first areas of France to be Christianized
- Oldest UNESCO World Heritage Site in France
- Relic of the Virgin Mary at the Chartres Cathedral
- The Chartres school of philosophy founded in the 10th Century
- The Romanesque church of Chartres burned down in the year 1195
- The new Gothic Cathedral was completed in 1224 and it only took 30 years
- The tenants of Gothic Architecture
- Built after Saint-Denis, but before Notre Dame
- Blue stained-glass windows
- There are 26,000 square feet of stained-glass windows at the Chartres Cathedral
- The Labyrinth on the floor
- The cost of restoration
- How this masterpiece survived WWI and WWII
- The Crypt
- The city
- How to visit by train from Paris
- 3 great day-trips from Paris
See more episodes about the Loire Valley
FOLLOW US ON:
Email | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter
Subscribe to the Podcast
Apple Google Spotify RSSSupport the Show
Tip Your Guides Extras Patreon Audio Tours
Categories: Day-Trips from Paris, Loire Valley
You guys a killing me… You tell me of these beautiful places, fantastic stained glass, and engaging history of viking raids and mystic relics that are so close to where we are headed. Don’t you know that it isn’t on our upcoming trip itinerary? Now I have to find out how to squeeze it in, or what else to drop, arrrrhhh… Have you no mercy?
If you weren’t so good at what you do this would be a lot easier on me. I guess we will just have to start planning a second trip, before we have even taken the first!
I love it when Elliese plans out a full day for us. Your podcast is like having a concierge planner give you the complete experience. Like Galvin says which one should I choose? But I know this for sure, I will be one traveller to France that will be in the know.
Malcolm Miller is the Englishman who has been guiding at Chartres Cathedral for ever. I came across him first in 1975! and he was still there on a visit a few years ago! We now both appear much older but Chartres Cathedral is timeless.