Day 38. Chartres - Deventer

Chartres.
The city with the biggest Cathedral from France.
It belongs to the Unesco World Heritage.
Most of it is built between 1194 and 1250.
More than 800 years old.

We both had never been there.

Entering the square where the Cathedral is standing the only thing I thought was :

How on earth was this made?
The scale.
The details.
The stonework.
The stained glass windows.

And: 

Who made it?
How many men did fall down during the building?
How proud they must have been when a statue was ready and placed.

It is a huge and  very impressive building.

Like a landscape made of stone.

On the outside by the entrance is beautiful stonework carving.

It reminded me of patchwork patterns.

I have to say: there is beautiful stonework everywhere at the Cathedral.

Beautiful long statues look down on you.

We walked in and my first thought was to walk out to calm down.

The hight of the ceiling and the light of heaven.

The clearness of the stained glass windows.

Blue, red, yellow, green and more.

It all sparkles and shines and tells the biblical stories like a picture book.

There are the signs of the Zodiac.

The blue Madonna.

Than there are the little rooms filled with statues.

Like a diorama.

They tell biblical stories.
This one is about the announcement. The angel is the one between the two women.

It reminded me immediatley of the work: "The Greeting" by Bill Viola in Museum De Pont in Tilburg.

As written before. The scenes tell biblical stories, but the garments they wear are from the time the statues are made. So it is the history from long time before Medieval times placed in the time the Cathedral was built.

This scene shows a nursery. The mother who gave birth to her son is in bed. 

The baby is washed by the mid-wife of that time.

Because last friday was Maria Assumption I have to post the Maria from Chartres.

The Cathedral is due to renovation and cleaning. 

On the left before and on the right after. 

It makes a  big difference.

Also the outside is already partly cleaned.

It will be a big difference to see the Cathedral in this light and almost airy state.

Because beauty can be too much, we headed for coffee on a terrace.

Later we went back. 

To see the rest and admire Peter on the outside with the keys from  the gate of heaven.

And the little sleeping man on a cloud.

We left round 14.30 hrs. and arived at home in Deventer round 22.00 hrs.

It was a wonderfull day and a very special holiday for me.