Construction of Notre-Dame de Chartres

Chartres Cathedral is a medieval Catholic cathedral in the town of Chartres, southwest of Paris, regarded as one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture. The present building was constructed mostly between 1194 and the 1220s, after a fire had destroyed the earlier Romanesque cathedral, leaving only the western facade and crypt. It was built relatively quickly, which gave it an unusual unity of style. The cathedral is famous for its stained glass, much of which dates from the thirteenth century, including the deep blue known as Chartres blue, and for its sculpted portals. It also holds a relic said to be the tunic of the Virgin Mary, which made it a major pilgrimage site, and has a labyrinth set into the floor of the nave. It was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1979.

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