medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture

On 20 Mar 2005 at 11:09, cate gunn wrote:

>> in May my husband & I are motoring down to Biarrittz for a few days & I've
persuaded him to stop for a night near Chartres on the way back (he's NOT a
medievalist). I've never (shame!) been to Chartres and would welcome any
advice on where to start, things I absolutely mustn't miss etc. Anything short
& sweet I should read in advance?
> > and if anyone knows of a pleasant little hotel in the vicinity, or a good
restaurant . . .



gee, a whole night in Chartres.

what to see?


From: Jim Bugslag <[log in to unmask]>

> You will undoubtedly want simply to spend time in and about the cathedral
itself, which is not only enormously rich in splendid details but awesome in
its totality, as well.  

mmmm....

that's one way to put it, i suppose.

>The building elicits in many people powerful feelings that lead to a
"spiritual experience".  

true, but, these hallucinations don't usually last more than a few decades and
most folks survive them and go on to live peaceful and productive lives in
spite of them, so you needn't worry about it too much if you are, temporarily,
overcome by the shear Numinosity of the place.

it will pass, most likely.

one of the great advantages of visiting at the High Tourist season of
mid-summer is that it is much easier to not be distracted by these pesky
"spiritual" elements when you have to deal with about 10,000 other folks
milling around, eating their cotton candy, listening to their walkmen, talking
into their cell phones, continually popping off flashbulbs in order to get
good shots of the stained glass, etc.

it is considerably harder to do that towards the end of March, when the crowds
are much thinner and you stand a chance of actually being able to hear the
quiet voice of the stones speaking to you.

>In order to orient yourselves, you might think of taking Malcolm
Miller's tour, which starts from the bookstall in the northwest tower.  

i've taken Malcolm's tour many times, esp. in the first years i visited the
place ('67-'70).

he is, indeed, a very, very good guide, perhaps the best.

you needn't believe *every*thing he says, but he says it in such an enjoyable
way that the various and inevitable "fabrications du guide" are worth it.

an excellent "first orientation" for the neophyte visitor, an hour well
spent.

>There is a separate tour of the crypt, as well, for which one buys tickets at
La Crypte, the bookshop just off the south transept.  

this one i'd pass, if your time is limited and you don't have a particularly
archeological interest.

too many lifetimes have been lost, in that crypt.

>It is also a splendid city just to walk about in.

yes.

early morning and evening are best.

> You might consider, in particular, walking down the hill or along the river
to the abbey church of St Pere.

absolutely.

i've never stayed in it but there is a "Hotel St. Pere" not far away (very
near the river, north west of the ancienne abbaye, just a few blocks).

always struck me as the quietest place in town to stay.

there is a restaurant in it as well, but i've never eaten there either.

if you want to stay there (or anywhere else), go there *first* to get a room.

there are also various "chambre de hote" rooms to be had in bed and breakfast
places --search the web for those.

i stayed in a nice one several years ago, near the "Porte Morard" and the
river.  don't know if it is still in operation.  a large, victorian private
house, run by an Irish lady.

a quick hit-list for Chartres:

--first approach the cathedral, walking, from the north, along the "rue du
Cardinal Pie" (go here
http://www.ville-chartres.fr/site/site.php?rubr=154&srubr=171  and click on
"Plan de la Ville", "zoom" in about 75% so that you can read the names of the
streets)

the r. du C.P. is the wide street which runs parallel to the cathedral, on the
north, and follows the trace of the original (carolingian) city wall.  walking
east along it, the Archives Departementales will be in the beautiful late 17th
c. building to your left, formerly the "Petite Seminaire"). that building is
open during the day, and worth stepping into to se a nice 17th c. wooden
staircase.

continue along the r. du C.P. until you come to the tiny "rue St. Yves" on the
right (South), which is hardly a "rue" at all, just a pedestrian alley,
really.

go down that narrow, darkish alley, with it's high old houses on both sides,
the North transept facade coming increasingly into view, until you come out
into the intimate North close, with that magnificent facade towering over
you.

*that* is the closest thing we can come to to experiencing what it must have
been like to live in the crowded, low, medieval city, dominated by such a
(relatively) spacious, *huge* structure as the cathedral.


--the North transept and its close is my favorite part around the cathedral to
just hang out, looking at Stuff, listening to the timeless pigeons.  
the sculpture is magnificent, especially that of the Northwest portal.  there
are even little "seats" in the piers of the porch just there where you can
lean back and rest your butt (until the circulation is cut off and your legs
go to sleep; also, attention au merde des pigeons).


--keep in mind that the stones of the cathedral are *alive*.  

they change colors with the seasons, time of day and weather.  

on a brilliant summer's day they can be White ;   

in winter, the raking sunlight tends to make them more rosey;  

on a gloomy, damp winter's day, after a rain or in heavy fog, they take on the
most marvelous, earthy green-brown color.  

but, watch out: experiencing that unique color can be one of those ensnaring
"spiritual experiences" Jim mentioned.


--there is a market every Saturday morning, in the Place Billard (former site
of the Count's palace), just a coupla blocks south of the cathedral, down the
rue des Changes.  
walk around that market, just to see such a thing if you never have.  
at noon on Saturday (marking the end of the market) they ring the great bells
of the cathedral.  
stand below the South tower to get the full effect of those.

yet another "spiritual experience" to be wary of.

--visit the Bishop's Garden, off the apse of the cathedral, for a great view
of the valley of the Eure, the plane of the Beauce just beyond.

the church down on the river to your left is the ancienne collegial of St.
Andre, dating from the early 12th c.

it should be visitable during the day, unless it is being used for some
"exposition" or other.

to reach it, go down the r. St. Yves again, to the Cardinal Pie, then left on
the street at the end, then take the r. Chantault to descend the hill, with
interesting half-timbered middlevil houses along the way (and one with 12th c.
sculpture on it).

turn right on the r. de St. Andre.

the curious, semi-circular "Cl. St. Andre" on the map is the outline of the
Roman ampitheater, btw.

St. Andre itself is a very nice, quiet church, a great meditation spot, much
abused by various fires which almost did it in, but still capable of giving
one an idea of what early 12th c. architecture looked like in the area.

--cross the river via the footbridge on the south side of St. Andre (in the
late m.a. the choir of the church spanned the river, in a breathtaking
fashion!!) and follow the r. de la Tannerie along the scenic river, with its
mill races and views of the cathedral up on the scarp (it doesn't sit on a
hill, but rather a scarp overlooking the valley).

continue on down the r. de la Foulerie (note the mill names) to the Pont St.
Hillaire, cross that and you come to the Place St. Pere and the former
Benedictine abbey of St. Peter of Chartres.

this is a building which, if it didn't have to share a city with the Cathedral
of Chartres, would get a lot more visitors (and money from the Monuments
Alcoholiques).

you should have the church to yourselves, as it is rarely visited.

a nice, late "romanesque"/early "gothic" ambulatory, perfect for ambling in,
with radiating chapels ; a High Gothic nave and upper parts of the choir, with
close links to the architecture of the cathedral ; fine stained glass windows
from (i think) the later 13th c. (use binoculars).

when finished there, it's up the hill, via the r. St. Pere to the cathedral,
entering the ancient "city" by the Porte Cindreuse (the beautiful r. des
Ecuyers descending the hill from the carrefour just there, with Malcolm
Miller's fine half timbered house at the bottom of it).

etc.

there's a bit more to see in town, i suppose, but it will cost you some plane
tickets to find out about it from me (note that, while i don't mind at all
flying coach, my cat, The Airhead, insists on First Class).

bon voyage.

c

p.s. btw, if you are comming up from the south, a stop off at the absolutely
Stunning and Magnificent cathedral of Bourges should be a Must.

it is, actually, my favorite cathedral, architecturally speaking.

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