Vanessa Zha 1:37 p.m., November 14, 2021

Every weekend at 7:25 am on Europe 1 and CNEWS, Vanessa Zha gives us new ideas for outings.

Direction Chartres this Sunday.

We are starting this profession in Chartres, which this week received the City and Crafts Label.

Yes, which means that Chartres joins the 500 municipalities which already have this national label.

Cities which are real breeding grounds for "excellence" craftsmanship.

And one of the crafts that characterizes Chartres is obviously the art of stained glass.

Chartres is even the capital of stained glass.

And its Notre-Dame Cathedral is the best example.

A real "Glass Bible"!

I will summarize it for you in a few figures because it makes you dizzy: there are 176 stained glass windows over 2600 m2 and 5000 characters represented!

And the stained-glass windows all date from the same period?

Not all of them, that's what makes them interesting.

These stained-glass windows are like the pages of a history book: that of the Cathedral and the city.

There are 4 original Roman style windows dating from the 12th century.

One of them is emblematic.

So much so that it is nicknamed the Mona Lisa of the stained glass windows: It is Notre-Dame de la Belle Verrière, where we can observe the Virgin Mary holding the child Jesus on her knees.

It is 7.50 meters high.

But more than that, she is an ambassador.

The Virgin Mary is dressed in a blue mantle, but much lighter and brighter than that of the other stained glass windows.

This blue is the famous Chartres blue, which is made from cobalt imported from Russia.

Besides, a little advice: to photograph it while capturing the Chartres blue as much as possible, the best time is just at nightfall.

As for the other stained glass windows?

They date from the 13th century.

The Romanesque Cathedral was largely destroyed by fire in 1194. And that's when the Gothic Cathedral was built.

All the stained glass artists put their hand in the construction of the work.

Each corporation wants to have its own stained glass window and its signature.

Hence the different styles and trades represented.

For the little anecdote, the corporation most represented on the stained glass is that of baker.

5 times.

And this is a summary of how Chartres has become the center of stained glass production since the Middle Ages.

Moreover, if you want to penetrate a little more in depth the world of stained glass, you have to open the doors of the international center of stained glass, an essential complement.

There are still master glassmakers, but can we also push their doors Vanessa?

Yes and I urge you to do so, some have even participated in the restoration of stained glass such as the "Loire", "Petit" or "Lorin" workshops.

I have a slight penchant for the Lorin house, which has existed for 150 years, which works closely with historical monuments and which shines throughout the world, especially with 6000 projects to its credit.

Quite interesting to understand contemporary creations.

And then I want to tell you that the best way to see them still living these stained glass windows is to participate in Chartres en Lumières, which takes place exceptionally this year until the end of December.

You can admire 23 illuminated heritage sites.

Nothing but the Cathedral offers you four scenographies in a loop.

Two on the royal portal, one on the south portal and the other on the north.

The latter is one of the most classic but it has the merit of highlighting and highlighting all the meticulous work of cathedral builders, down to the smallest detail.

Quite mesmerizing, even in the rain, you stay planted in front. 

Other favorite scenographies?

In a completely different genre, I recommend the Museum of Fine Arts, because it looks back on the highlights and the struggles of Jean Moulin who resisted against the Nazis in Chartres.

And then to stroll in the lower town the sites of the edges of the Eure with the bridges and the washhouses which are also scripted.

You will see, it is quite magical and poetic.