A Walk Around the Cathedral At Chartres, France

Chartres Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres, is a Roman Catholic church in Chartres, France, about 80 km (50 miles) southwest of Paris and is the seat of the Diocese of Chartres. Mostly constructed between 1194 and 1220, it stands at the site of at least five cathedrals that have occupied the site since Chartres became a bishopric in the 4th century. It is in the Gothic and Romanesque styles.

It is designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, which calls it "the high point of French Gothic art" and a "masterpiece".

The cathedral has been well preserved. The majority of the original stained glass windows survive intact, while the architecture has seen only minor changes since the early 13th century. The building's exterior is dominated by heavy flying buttresses which allowed the architects to increase the window size significantly, while the west end is dominated by two contrasting spires – a 105-metre (349 ft) plain pyramid completed around 1160 and a 113-metre (377 ft) early 16th-century Flamboyant spire on top of an older tower. Equally notable are the three great façades, each adorned with hundreds of sculpted figures illustrating key theological themes and narratives.

Since at least the 12th century the cathedral has been an important destination for travellers. It remains so to the present, attracting large numbers of Christian pilgrims, many of whom come to venerate its famous relic, the Sancta Camisa, said to be the tunic worn by the Virgin Mary at Christ's birth, as well as large numbers of secular tourists who come to admire the cathedral's architecture and historical merit.

In 1939, at the beginning of the Second World War, all the glass from the cathedral was removed for safekeeping. It was cleaned and re-leaded before being replaced after the War. In 1944, when the German-occupied city was invested by American troops, Colonel Welborn Barton Griffith, Jr. entered the city to determine the location of German forces. He noticed that fire was being directed at the cathedral, entered it, determined that no German forces were there, and signalled to cease fire. A short time later he was killed in action.

The cathedral is still the seat of the Bishop of Chartres of the Diocese of Chartres, though in the ecclesiastical province of Tours.

Every evening since the events of 11 September 2001, vespers are sung by the Chemin Neuf Community.

Видео A Walk Around the Cathedral At Chartres, France канала Michael Jiroch