Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
considered the “Queen of All Saints,” was hugely popular. God was enigmatic and scary,
but Mary was maternal and accessible, providing a handy go-between for Christians and
their Creator. Chartres, a small town of 10,000 with a prized relic, found itself in the big
time on the pilgrim circuit.
When the fire of 1194 incinerated the old church, the veil was feared lost. Lo and
behold, several days later, townspeople found it miraculously unharmed in the crypt (be-
neath today's choir). Whether the veil's survival was a miracle or a marketing ploy, the
people of Chartres were so stoked, they worked like madmen to erect this grand cathed-
ral in which to display it. Thinkers and scholars gathered here, making Chartres a leading
center of learning in the Middle Ages (until the focus shifted to Paris' university).
By the way, the church is officially called the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres.
Many travelers think that “Notre-Dame” is in Paris. That's true. But more than a hundred
churches dedicated to Mary—“Notre-Dames”—are scattered around France. Chartres
Cathedral is one of them.
