Chartres Cathedral
...Kings of heresy and disaster from the past. Also on the north facade is a set of windows called, the Rose of France, which is a tribute to the Virgin Mary, St. Anne, and Blanche of Castile. The Rose and lancet window collection was donated by Queen Blanche, wife of Louis VIII and mother of St. Louis. Small spandrels above the lancet windows are decorated with her coats of arms, the fleurs-de-lis emblem of France and castles for the Kingdom of Castile. Blanche, as a secular patron of Chartres, is in the company of Mary the sacred patron. King Solomon stands beneath a simple canopy in the right of St. Anne. He prefigures Christ as a Judge and a builder of the temple. Queen Blanche may have chosen Solomon for this window because of his meeting with the Queen of Sheba. Sheba brought gifts to Solomon in order to learn more of his wisdom and wealth. He in turn gave her all she desired. This could be an allegory for Blanche bringing her wealth to Chartres. The Aisle windows include, the Redemption window, St. Nicholas window, the Joseph window, St. Eustache window, and St. Lubin window. Within the Redemption window is an image that represents the important blacksmith guild. It is a visual description of the medieval methods of shoeing a horse. The horse is shown in a wooden frame being held firmly by bridle and hind leg. The St. Nicholas window image illustrates local business as well as the existence of an important trade. The donors of the St. Nicholas window were merchants of dry goods, spices, and medicinal drugs. The donors of the Joseph the Patriarch window belonged to the money changers guild. The image depicts a group weighing gold who appear to be at odds with the gospel story of Christ driving the money-changers from the temple. Within the St. Eustache window, an early scene from the legend Eustache, is shown. An officer in Trojan’s army is hunting before his conversion to Christianity. A white stag with a crucifix between its antlers is about to appear and tell Eustache of his new faith and approaching martyrdom. St. Lubin was the Bishop of Chartres in 558 who preformed miracles and thought to cure dropsy. The window dedicated to St. Lubin involves a scene which depicts a wine merchant offering a goblet to a customer seated before him. Behind him is a tapping of a new barrel of wine. Along the West Facade of Chartres Cathedral is the Tree of Jesse lancet window and the exterior west rose window, as well as the three interior lancet windows. The Tree of Jesse lancet window depicts the Old Testament prophecy of the coming of the Messiah from the royal line of David taken from the biblical passage of Isaiah 11:1. “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots. Jesse is the root, Mary is the rod, and Christ is the flower.” A tree grows from the patriarch figure of Jesse lying at the bottom of the window, ascends through four Kings to Mary and then to Christ at the top. Prophets flank each pane along with seven doves representing the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. The three West lancet windows depicting the genealogy, life, and Resurrection of Christ, survived the devastating fire of 1194. They are considered the finest group of early Gothic windows in existence. The exterior rose window loses the subtle qualities of the glass. It appears to have holes punched out of the masonry in the shape of a rosette. It acts as a central focal point to unify the older 12th century porch and windows with the new facade. The Nave includes the Miracles of Notre Dame window, the Death of the Virgin window, and the Good Samaritan window. The Miracles of Notre Dame window involves Mary, a powerful presence in the church. The Death of the Virgin window depicts the death, funeral, entombment and assumption of the Virgin. The cobblers guild is represented by a shoemaker on the lower window pane. The Good Samaritan window was donated by the shoemakers guild and combines the parable of the Good Samaritan with the story the Creation of Adam and Eve. The creation, fall, and redemption of mankind are illustrated, contrasting the disobedience of God’s command with the obedience to Christ’s teachings. Along the...