High Middle Ages · Europe · Culture
1260
Chartres Cathedral consecrated
1260
After decades of work following a devastating fire, the rebuilt cathedral of Chartres was dedicated in the presence of Louis IX. Its stained glass flooded the nave with deep blues; its sculptures offered a stone encyclopedia of creation. Pilgrims came for the relic of Mary's tunic. The cathedral's windows, over one hundred and fifty in number, contain the most complete medieval glazing program to survive intact.