Chartres Things to Do

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Named after the bishop of Chartres around 400 AD who founded it, Église Saint-Aignan was originally dedicated to Saint Denis. It was rededicated after Bishop Aignan died and was canonised, and for a while it served as the parish church of the Comtes de Blois and Chartres. The original paleo-Christian structure completely disappeared as a result of destruction and reconstruction over the centuries. Three fires, in the 12th, 13th, and early 16th centuries, caused the most damage. After each fire, the structure was rebuilt, but the last reconstruction conserved some of the Mediaeval Gothic details, as seen in the main entrance and the lower level of the interior. The rest of the 16th century reconstruction was in a Renaissance style, as evidenced in the left hand side entrance, the upper level of the interior, and the lower level of the side tower. The upper level of the tower and the Rose window on the façade were 17th century additions, while the interior frescoes were added in 1866.

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Named after the sculpted fish on the wooden beams on its façade, la Maison du Saumon is the most famous among the timber-frame houses in Chartres. It was built in the 15th century on rue de la Poissonnerie, which takes its name after the fish market that once took place here, and which in turn likely resulted in the inclusion of a fish within the decorations of the edifice. Fish caught in the sea was brought up the River Eure to the banks just below this street to be sold in Chartres. The fish (is it really a salmon?) is among many carved wood decorations that include vines, figurines and animals. The house suffered significant damage in a fire in 1944 World War II bombings, but was subsequently restored. Nowadays, it contains a shop and houses a tourist office.

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Located in the heart of the ancient commercial district, this Art Nouveau steel and glass structure was built around 1899 to shelter the city's vegetable market (Marché aux Légumes). A regular market for all foods continues to occur regularly and it is here where the locals buy their daily groceries. The market is located at Place Billard, which is the site of le Château Comtal, the Mediaeval castle and seat of power for centuries. Unfortunately, nothing is left of the Château for it was completely destroyed in 1817.

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Completed in 1928, this palatial eclectic style edifice was built as the post office of Chartres. A local chartrain architect, the Beaux-Arts graduate Raoul Brandon, was chosen for the project. (Raoul Brandon also designed the original Cairo Stock Exchange Building, "la Bourse du Caire"). He chose a "neo-Mediaeval" style with Art Déco touches to complement the Mediaeval architecture of the city. In 1994, the building was listed as a historic monument, and in 2007, it was renovated and reopened as Médiathèque l'Apostrophe, a multi-media branch of la Bibliothèque de Chartres.

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Although mediaeval-looking, this castle-like tower was only constructed in 1887. It was in fact a water tower, which continued to function as a reservoir until 1929. Nowadays, it houses the Société Archéologique d'Eure-et-Loire, which is responsible for archaeology in Chartres and its surroundings. The tower also contains a library that is open to the public in the afternoons.

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Once one of the most sumptuous mansions in Chartres, l'Hôtel Montescot is nowadays the city hall (l'Hôtel de Ville). It was originally built in 1546 as the residence of the Montescot family (one of whom served as a Royal Secretary), but it was partially reconstructed in 1614. The mansion was later sold and, for the next two centuries, functioned as a school and a charitable office. Finally, in 1824, the city of Chartres purchased it and converted into the city hall.

Never one to pass by poking into an interesting building, we wandered into the library (bibliotheque) which opened in 2007 in a former post office that was built in 1927. Obviously a couple of tourists aren't visiting a library to check out books so the library staff pointed us up to the top floors which have a beautiful view over Chartres.

The Cathedrale is currently undergoing some major restoration work, you can see some flashes of the brilliance that will exist once they are finished. The stone interior has darkened over the years but the section that has been cleaned is now a brilliant white. Many of the stained glass windows have been restored as well and the difference between them and the untouched ones is remarkable.

The cathedral is free to visit, open for visitors 8:30am-7:30pm. If you want to visit the crypt there is an admission fee or if you want a guided tour which looks to include climbing the tower there is a separate admission, see the attached website for hours and fees.