West Portal of Chartres Cathedral, known as the Royal Portal Postcard

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West Portal of Chartres Cathedral, known as the Royal Portal, France

Books have been written about Chartres Cathedral and I encourage you to read some of them. It is my absolute favorite cathedral in the entire world (not that my research pool is terribly large) and I'm not sure what it is that attracts me. The first time we visited Chartres was fortunately a sunny day so the stained glass was spectacular. However, I was more struck by the floor of the ancient church. It was very worn stone and the sun shining through the stained glass windows onto the floor worn slick by 800 years of feet caught my imagination. I could not begin to imagine the number of people who had trod the floor before me and who would continue to walk there long after I had left. There are 176 stained glass windows and the color most overwhelming is the famous Chartres blue. I'm not sure if the windows or their reflections on the floor or the white choir screen are the more beautiful. Another thing that enchanted me on my first viewing that still delights me after many years is the beautiful white choir screen. It's a later addition to the church having been finished in 1714 but the perfection of the tiny stories in stone surrounding the altar is sheer magic. It has recently been cleaned so is even more beautiful than previously.

Photo by Beausoleil

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