[NYer]

William Newton is a graduate of the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, the University of Notre Dame Law School, and Sotheby’s Institute of Art in London. Learn more at wbdnewton.com and follow him on Twitter at wbdnewton. This article appeared on Mr. Newton’s Blog of the Courtier and is reprinted here with permission.

[NYer]

CHARTRES CATHEDRAL

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Chartres Cathedral - the Medieval Stained Glass

The Labyrinth of Chartres Cathedral

[E. Pluribus Unum]

How long before the Mohammedan “immigrants” blow it up?

[GreyFriar]

Alas, 7 years in Germany and I never made it to Chartres.

[Popman]

How can cleaning up and restoring such a beautiful and magnificent building cause such a fuss....?

Cleanliness is next to Godliness is the saying....

Clean it up and restore it before the it’s turned into a stable by the invading Muslim hordes...

[HerrBlucher]

I was an Atheist when I visited the Chartres Cathedral in July 1993 and became a Christian less than two years later. I was really impressed with the Cathedral, it was the first time I actually felt reverence for anything other than my own pursuit of pleasure. That little spark kept growing until I was finally engulfed.

[Yardstick]

Would be interesting to see the original architectural drawings. I wonder if they exist?

[60Gunner]

Beautiful architecture. Destined for the rubbish heap upon the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. Speaking of whom...

Churches don't save people. People don't save people. God saves people, by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

[xp38]

I visited it in 1995. It is impressive especially the fine stonework inside. That said the church that most moved me in my journeys throughout Europe was Westminster Abbey. St Peters also packs a wallop.

[bgill]

Not that anyone asked but I vote for a good thorough cleaning.

[left that other site]

This is similar to the hue and cry that came about during the restoration of the Sistine Chapel Ceiling. Centuries of candle smoke and incense had darkened the original colors to a subtle uniformity that had become what people expected to see. When the restoration team revealed the bright, almost "carnival" colors of the original, people were aghast.

[Oratam]

I wonder if they're finding evidence of paint on the walls and ceilings. Gothic cathedrals, particularly in France, were plastered and painted in a riot of colors in fantastic patters . . . like this!

[colorado tanker]

Chartres is such a beautiful place, but also a place where you feel God's presence. There is deep meaning in every aspect of the building, windows, sculpture, the labyrinth, even in the structure of the building itself, in numerology. The place embodies the faith of those who built it.

FWIW, I think restoration is a wonderful idea. I remember first visiting Europe and especially London and seeing those sooty old buildings. That condition isn't authentic, just the accumulation of centuries of London "fog." It's wonderful today to see the Palace of Westminster in its original limestone color.

[sockmonkey]

I visited Chartres, and the stained glass windows were breathtaking. I bought a bunch of books with photos of the Cathedral...I have no idea where those books are, but I’m inspired to find them now.

[Hebrews 11:6]

Chartres Cathedral: Sooty-Dark or Sparkling White, It’s Still Saving Souls

Now I'm confused. I stand second to no one in my appreciation of Chartres, but all along I understood that it was faith in Jesus and His finished work that actually saves souls. Who knew?!

[al_c]

Beautiful cathedral. Studied a number of these in college ... this one was my favorite. Seeing it is in my bucket list.