Chartres Things to Do

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Standing in the shadows of the Cathedral, Maison Saint-Yves lies above the valley of the Eure, with views over la ville basse (the lower city of Chartres). The palatial edifice was built in the 17th century as a mansion on the site of an ancient monastery, of which parts are still preserved. In 1807 it was converted into a convent, and in the early 20th century, it became the Grand Seminary of the Cathedral, which later moved to Orléans. Nowadays, la Maison Saint-Yves has been converted into a hotel, known as Hôtellerie Saint-Yves. For those wanting to stay overnight in Chartres, this may be a great inexpensive (and not luxurious) option.

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Located just outside the Cathedral, this complex was once a hospital and an orphanage known as Hôtel-Dieu. It was founded in the 11th century by la Comtesse Berthe de Blois (not to be confused with la Reine Berthe de Bourgogne, who has the spiral staircase named after her). The building was partially destroyed in 1868 and subsequently rebuilt. The hospital has since moved elsewhere, but the complex nowadays houses l'École internationale du Vitrail et du Patrimoine, a school dedicated to keeping the stained glass art and its restoration alive.

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Nowadays in ruins, Porte Guillaume was once one of several gates in the fortified walls surrounding the mediaeval city of Chartres. This gate was built in the 12th century and reinforced in the 15th. When the city walls were destroyed, Porte Guillaume was preserved and was eventually incorporated in the construction of adjacent houses. Up until 1944, the gate was fully preserved, but unfortunately, WWII bombing nearly completely destroyed it. We are now left with only the section seen in the attached photograph. Just outside the gate is the small bridge that crosses the River Eure, Pont Bouju, rebuilt in 1837. The surrounding area is most charming with beautiful mediaeval architecture, interesting boutiques and restaurants.

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Located at Place Jean-Moulin, this elegant hôtel particulier was built in the 16th century near the Cathedral. The mansion's ground floor is of stone, while the upper levels are built of redbrick. Its beautiful portal with a wooden gate is framed by floral motifs and two cherubs carved in the façade's stone. It was named after a certain Jean de Champrond, a civil officer who was known to be rather stingy and was supposedly the inspiration for the character, Harpagon, in Molière's l'Avare (The Miser).

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Located just north of the Cathedral, this palatial edifice was built between 1722 and 1735 by Bishop Charles François des Monstiers de Mérinville as a seminary, to replace a smaller older building. It was named after Saint Charles Borromeé (Carlo Borromeo, cardinal archbishop of Milan). A few additions, such as the chapel, were made later in the 18th century. The Seminary closed down just after la Révolution and found various other uses until 1907, when les Archives d'Eure-et-Loire moved in.

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Located north of the Cathedral, this complex was once a granary and food storage facility that belonged to the church. The triple-naved timber framed structure, which dates from the 13th century (and expanded in the 16th) and is known as le Cellier de Loëns, was the actual granary. Nowadays it houses the Centre International du Vitrail, the body responsible for the restoration of old stained glass windows. It also holds temporary exhibitions.

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Located near Église Saint-André, la Maison Romane (the Romanesque House) is the oldest surviving stone house in Chartres, built in the 12th century. Its façade has a series of arched windows with striking grotesque figures in its tympana, typical of Romanesque architecture of the period, hence the name.

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Located on rue des Écuyers, this round tower has a spiral staircase within it. Its name, "la Reine Berthe," was only assigned in the 18th century, after Queen Berthe de Bourgogne (Bertha of Burgundy), the widow of the Count of Blois, who had lived in the non-extant nearby Château Comtal in the 10th century. The staircase, however, dates from the 16th century. Its exposed timber framing and beams are carved with decorative motifs and figurines.