Chartres Cathedral is considered by many to be the finest Gothic cathedral in France, if not in Europe. The Sancta Camisia, the cloth that the Virgin Mary was wearing when she gave birth to Christ, was once housed in the town of Chartres. The cathedral itself was first built in 1145, but was destroyed by fire in 1194. The Sancta Camisia remained intact, which was seen as a sign of Mary’s love and led a papal representative to convince the spiritually devastated people of Chartres to build a new cathedral on the same foundations. The result, which took until about 1260 to complete, was a spectacular combination of early Gothic and high Gothic, attracting hordes of visitors every year. Built of limestone, the cathedral, which set the standard for 13th-century architecture, still stands 34m high (112ft) and 130m long (427ft) today. The cathedral is particularly well known for its asymmetrical spires, 176 stained glass windows and numerous religious sculptures depicting scenes from both the Old and New Testaments.

Office du Tourisme, Place de la Cathédrale, BP 289, 28005 Chartres, France
Tel: (02) 3718 2626. Fax: (02) 3721 5191. E-mail: chartres.tourism@wanadoo.fr

Air: Paris Roissy-Charles de Gaulle Airport or Paris Orly Airport. Rail: Train: Chartres Station from Paris Montparnasse Station. Road: Bus: Chartres Station. Car: A6 to A10 and A11, N10 and D39 (from Paris).

Cathedral: Daily 0830-1930 (1 Nov-Easter); daily 0800-2000 (Easter-1 Nov). Guided tour: Daily 1430 (Jan-Dec); Tues-Sat 1030 and 1500 (Easter-1 Nov). Closed 1 Jan and 25 Dec. Guided tour of Crypt: Mon-Sat 1100 and 1615 (Nov-Easter); Mon-Sat 1100, 1415, 1530, 1630 (Easter-Nov); Mon-Sat 1100, 1415, 1530, 1630 and 1715. Closed 1 Jan, 21 Jun and 25 Dec. Tower: Mon-Sat 100-1130 and 1400-1600, Sun 1300-1830 (1 Nov-28 Feb); Mon-Sat 0930-1130 and 1400-1700, Sun 1300-1830 (1 Sep-31 Oct and 1 Mar-30 Apr); Mon-Sat 0900-1800, Sun 1300-1830 (2 May-31 Aug).

Cathedral: Free. Guided tour: EUR5.5/FFR36 (adult), EUR3/FFr20 (child over 10), free (child under 10). Crypt: EUR2.3/FFr15 (adult), EUR1.6/FFr10 (child over 7), free (child under 7). Tower: EUR3.96/FFr26 (adult over 25), EUR2.44/FFr16 (adult 18-25), free (child under 18).

France