Chartres, Cathedral Front

The spires of most cathedrals are a matched (or a nearly matched) pair, but these two are each of a noticeably different design. Originally they were built to stand free and the entrance was about forty feet beyond. When it was rebuilt after the great fire in 1194, the interior was enlarged and the entrance moved to be flush with the towers.

This Notre Dame has three rose windows — one each on the west, the north, and the south sides. The more than half an acre of impressive windows, in which blue glass predominates, depict 5,000 figures. Enormous columns holding up the ceiling of the nave are of two specific designs, with alternating round and square detail.