France
Chartres Cathedral 3D
Welcome to France! Chartres Cathedral rises high above the small town of Chartres, its two different spires and glowing stained-glass windows making it one of the finest Gothic cathedrals ever built.
Why is it famous?
It's considered one of the best-preserved and most beautiful Gothic cathedrals in the world.
Its two towers look different because they were built almost 400 years apart, in two very different styles.
How was it formed?
After a fire destroyed an earlier church in 1194, the whole town came together to rebuild the cathedral in under 30 years — remarkably fast for the time.
Builders used flying buttresses, stone supports on the outside, to hold up its tall, thin walls and huge windows.
Quick facts
- It has 176 stained-glass windows, many of them almost 800 years old.
- The famous 'Chartres blue' color in its glass is so special that no one has ever perfectly recreated it.
- The cathedral's labyrinth pattern on the floor is nearly 800 years old and still walked by visitors today.