Mon Aventure Française: Pictures of evening of first day in Chartres

A destination for pilgrims for over a thousand years, the Cathedral of Chartres, located on the plain of Beauce, was severely damaged by a number of fires. The façade and one of the spires date from the 12th century, the second spire was built in the 16th century on a 12th century base while the nave and chancel go back to the 13th century.

The following pictures where taken from the top of the Jehan de Beauce tower, where (as you will see) visitors can enjoy superb views of the surrounding country and take a close-up look at the Cathedral’s Gothic architecture

Soline in front of the bells.

After seeing Chartres from the highest point of the cathedral we decided to descend to the undergrounds and visit the crypt. The crypt, dated from 11th century is one of the cathedral elements that was saved from damages of 1194 fire. It practically measures the same width as the cathedral and is consider as the largest one in all France and the third largest in the world (after St. Peter in Rome and Canterbury in England).

Lastly here are the pictures that I took on the way back that evening.

Then later that night after resting a bit we headed out once again to see the illuminations.The illuminations/light show take place every year from June to mid- September and are shown on the church and other historic buildings throughout the city.