St-Piat's chapel at the rear of the Cathedral


Visited Sunday, October 31, 1999

Chartres -- East Side

The East side is really the rear of the cathedral and sits atop a high bluff so it was unlikely that the unknown architect planned much visual effect for it. Later the St. Piat's Chapel was added to house the relics.

The next picture shows what are the earliest flying buttresses. The upper arches were added later. I don't know if the walls started pushing outward or what. These buttresses, by downloading the weight of the walls, freed the walls from the mass previously required to hold up the roof. These lighter walls, then, could contain substantial room for the 160 plus windows.

Moving around to the North side of the cathedral, we were disappointed as this façade is undergoing serious refurbrishment. The North Rose window has been removed for repair and most of the façade is quite dark from the accumulation of dirt. The few pictures we took didn't make the cut.

By now we were ready to go inside the cathedral. Please join us by clicking here.


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