Editing Chartres (section)

===Cathedrals and churches===
[[File:Facade cathedral.jpg|thumb|Cathedral of Chartres]]
[[File:Chartres Vitrail2.jpg|thumb|The famous "Chartres blue"]]
[[File:Monografie de la Cathedrale de Chartres - 10 Facade Meridionale - Gravure.jpg|thumb|South elevation, lithography 1864]]
[[File:Loire Eure Chartres7 tango7174.jpg|thumb|The Church of Saint Aignan]]
Chartres is best known for its cathedral, the [[Chartres Cathedral|''Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres'']], which is considered one of the finest and best preserved [[Gothic architecture|Gothic cathedrals]] in France and in Europe. Its historical and cultural importance has been recognized by its inclusion on the [[UNESCO]] list of [[World Heritage Site]]s.

It was built on the site of the former Chartres cathedral of [[Romanesque architecture]], which was destroyed by fire in 1194 (that former cathedral had been built on the ruins of an ancient Celtic temple, later replaced by a Roman temple). Begun in 1205, the construction of ''Notre-Dame de Chartres'' was completed 66 years later.

The [[stained glass]] windows of the cathedral were financed by [[guilds]] of merchants and craftsmen, and by wealthy noblemen, whose names appear at the bottom.
 
It is not known how the famous and unique blue, ''bleu de Chartres'', of the glass was created, and it has been impossible to replicate it. The French author [[Michel Pastoureau]] says that it could also be called ''bleu de Saint-Denis''.<ref>Pastoureau, Michel, ''Bleu: histoire d'une couleur', Seuil, Paris, 2000.  {{ISBN|978-2757840016}}</ref>

The ''Église Saint-Pierre de Chartres'' was the church of the [[Benedictine]] ''[[Saint-Père-en-Vallée|Abbaye Saint-Père-en-Vallée]]'', founded in the 7th century by queen [[Balthild]]. At time of its construction, the abbey was outside the walls of the city. It contains fine stained glass and, formerly, twelve representations of the apostles in enamel, created about 1547 by [[Léonard Limousin|Léonard Limosin]],{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}} which now can be seen in the fine arts museum.

Other noteworthy churches of Chartres are ''Saint-Aignan'' (13th, 16th and 17th centuries), and ''Saint-Martin-au-Val'' (12th century), inside the Saint-Brice hospital.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}

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