Partly built starting in 1145, and then reconstructed over a 26-year period after the fire of 1194, Chartres Cathedral marks the high point of French Gothic art. The vast nave, in pure ogival style, the porches adorned with fine sculptures from the middle of the 12th century, and the magnificent 12th- and 13th-century stained-glass windows , all in remarkable condition, combine to make it a masterpiece.

With its medieval splendour, the cathedral is quickly the focus of everyone's attention. The heart of the old town beats in the shade of its flying buttresses. Ancient houses line higgledy-piggledy little streets with delightful names, and stairways tumble down towards the lower town, the reflection of which is clearly visible in the waters of the Eure... The lively hum of the market stalls, the charm of a little hump-backed bridge straddling the river, the elegance of the houses' facades, the sparkle of the stained-glass windows in an ancient church, the wealth of the museums with their 1,000 treasures, the magic of a concert which inflames the town, the passion of a skilled craftsman, the freshness of a terrace near a water mill.