Chartres Cathedral (Cathédrale de Chartres)

Chartres Cathedral is considered by many to be the finest Gothic cathedral in France, if not in Europe. The Sancta Camisia, the cloth that the Virgin Mary was wearing when she gave birth to Christ, was once housed in the town of Chartres. The cathedral itself was first built in 1145, but was destroyed by fire in 1194. The Sancta Camisia remained intact, which was seen as a sign of Mary’s love and led a papal representative to convince the spiritually devastated people of Chartres to build a new cathedral on the same foundations. The result, which took until about 1260 to complete, was a spectacular combination of early Gothic and high Gothic, attracting hordes of visitors every year. Built of limestone, the cathedral, which set the standard for 13th-century architecture, still stands 34m high (112ft) and 130m long (427ft) today. The cathedral is particularly well known for its asymmetrical spires, 176 stained glass windows and numerous religious sculptures depicting scenes from both the Old and New Testaments.