The Cathedral De Notre Dame

No, we are not to Paris yet.  Notre Dame is a pretty common name for cathedrals in France, but in Chartres today the cathedral we visited was anything but common.  Quite possibly one of the most beautiful churches in the country and easily some of the prettiest stained glass windows we have seen.    Somewhat hidden away in the Loire Valley town of Chartres you can find this wonderful cathedral.

 

  

We arrived on a dark cloudy day that made the huge cathedral on the hill almost seem ominous.  Once inside we found a huge space filled with beautiful stained glass windows and an amazing amount of art, sculpture and stained glass.  While we visited we began to hear a choir singing and found we were to be treated with the beautiful voices of an adult and children’s choir singing throughout our visit.    We stopped and watched some of their concert as we awaited our tour.  Along with the nice music came along some brief sunshine that illuminated the windows beautifully.

The Choir

The Windows

The Gargoyles

Besides visiting the sanctuary, we also climbed to the top of the North Bell Tower to visit the gargoyles and to test our general fitness.  The gargoyles were well rested and in proper shape, we are getting there as we tour throughout the trip.  After going up, we went down into the crypts of the church for a tour.  Of course the tour was in French and the English translated guide was out of order.  A gentle reminder that if you are not French and do not speak our language you do not count. Here in France.

After our visit we journeyed back to our Chateau for a nice dinner and a relaxing evening.   With a light snow falling, our winter vacation was providing a lot of extra effects for our enjoyment.