I arrived by 11:30 this morning, walked around a bit looking for a place to stay, finally had to settle on a nice hotel, and amazingly it was cheaper than the budget places because they only had double rooms and insisted on charging for two people even if I was only one. This place had singles, and Notre Dame de Chartres is only a block away!
This cathedral is considered the creme-de-la-creme of gothic cathedrals, and it's hard to argue with them. It is especially renowned for the stained glass windows. Somehow the majority of the medieval glass has survived the centuries. They are spectacular! They even wanted a vibrant new blue in honor of Our Lady, and made chartreuse blue (from Chartres, duh) for the glass, but then lost the recipe/process and it can't be duplicated. There are three great rose windows, and some 40 smaller round rosettes, and many many large tall windows throughout the church. It is also known for its carvings. Actually, most of the cathedral is rather plain, certainly nothing like Amiens, but the carvings around the doors are wonderful, they are high quality work of medieval craftsmen, in a consistent style throughout.
Mass was at the main altar (at the crossing) at 6:15, and I'm back at the hotel.
By 9 o'clock tonight I decide to go out again, as the old town had a nighttime walking tour laid out with multimedia light shows on a bunch of the building, including several churches. You've never seen Notre Dame de Chartres like this before! Sometime projecting artsy stuff, stars and flowers, at other times outlining the structure and such things. I particularly like what they would do with the rose window. They seem to understand that the rose window represents the Eye of God, and they would have it radiate with the might of God. On the north portal, which is highly carved, they made each statue glow with brilliant colors, as if each status was painted, the lights precisely coloring faces, hands, garments, borders etc, it was truly amazing. And all this in a light but steady drizzle.
Until tomorrow - God bless you, you are in my prayers.
