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45-629: Chartres ( French pronunciation: [ʃaʁtʁ] ) is the prefecture of the Eure-et-Loir department in the Centre-Val de Loire region in France. It is located about 90 km (56 mi) southwest of Paris. At the 2019 census, there were 170,763 inhabitants in the metropolitan area of Chartres (as defined by the INSEE ), 38,534 of whom lived in the city ( commune ) of Chartres proper. Chartres

90-802: A Prefecture of Police ( French : préfecture de police ), known as the Paris Police Prefecture , a situation inherited from the Paris Commune of 1871. The power of law enforcement is usually vested in the mayor in other communes . This power is held by the Prefect of Police of Paris in the Petite Couronne. In 2012, a similar structure was established in Bouches-du-Rhône , the Bouches-du-Rhône Police Prefecture , headed by

135-453: A carillon or chimes , in which the bells are sounded by hammers connected via cables to a keyboard. These can be found in many churches and secular buildings in Europe and America including college and university campuses. A variety of electronic devices exist to simulate the sound of bells, but any substantial tower in which a considerable sum of money has been invested will generally have

180-543: A free standing bell tower. A bell tower may also in some traditions be called a belfry , though this term may also refer specifically to the substructure that houses the bells and the ringers rather than the complete tower. The tallest free-standing bell tower in the world, 113.2 metres (371 ft) high, is the Mortegliano Bell Tower, in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, Italy . Bells are rung from

225-449: A pleasant park, lies to the north-west, and squares and open spaces are numerous. Part of the Hôtel de Ville (City Hall) is a building of the 17th century called Hôtel de Montescot . The Maison Canoniale dating back to the 13th century, and several medieval and Renaissance houses, are of interest. There is a statue of General Marceau (1769–1796), a native of Chartres and a general during

270-514: A real set of bells. Some churches have an exconjuratory in the bell tower, a space where ceremonies were conducted to ward off weather-related calamities, like storms and excessive rain. The main bell tower of the Cathedral of Murcia has four. In Christianity , many churches ring their church bells from belltowers three times a day, at 9 am, 12 pm and 3 pm to summon the Christian faithful to recite

315-493: A strong cultural significance ( Russian Orthodox bell ringing ), and churches were constructed with bell towers (see also List of tall Orthodox Bell towers ). Bell towers (Chinese: Zhonglou , Japanese: Shōrō ) are common in China and the countries of related cultures . They may appear both as part of a temple complex and as an independent civic building, often paired with a drum tower , as well as in local church buildings. Among

360-588: A tower built specifically to house a carillon . Church bell towers often incorporate clocks, and secular towers usually do, as a public service. The term campanile ( / ˌ k æ m p ə ˈ n iː l i , - l eɪ / , also US : / ˌ k ɑː m -/ , Italian: [kampaˈniːle] ), from the Italian campanile , which in turn derives from campana , meaning "bell", is synonymous with bell tower ; though in English usage campanile tends to be used to refer to

405-435: A tower to enable them to be heard at a distance. Church bells can signify the time for worshippers to go to church for a communal service , and can be an indication of the fixed times of daily Christian prayer , called the canonical hours , which number seven and are contained in breviaries . They are also rung on special occasions such as a wedding , or a funeral service. In some religious traditions they are used within

450-663: Is also a handball club and it is playing in the French second division. In November 2012, Chartres organized the European Short Course Swimming Championships . The town is the seat of a diocese (bishopric), a prefecture, and a cour d'assises . It has a Tribunal de grande instance , a Tribunal d'instance , a Chamber of commerce and a branch of the Banque de France . Public and religious schooling from kindergarten through high school and vocational schools

495-578: Is best known for its cathedral, the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres , which is considered one of the finest and best preserved Gothic cathedrals in France and in Europe. Its historical and cultural importance has been recognized by its inclusion on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites . It was built on the site of the former Chartres cathedral of Romanesque architecture , which was destroyed by fire in 1194 (that former cathedral had been built on

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540-523: Is elected through a system of cantons . It is in charge of the building and maintenance of middle schools ( collèges ) and departmental roads, financial assistance to dependent people (disabled and elderly), as well as promotion of local economic development, amongst other matters. In the past, the prefect was head of the department, but since 1982, the President of the Departmental Council has assumed

585-492: Is famous worldwide for its cathedral . Mostly constructed between 1193 and 1250, this Gothic cathedral is in an exceptional state of preservation. The majority of the original stained glass windows survive intact, while the architecture has seen only minor changes since the early 13th century. Part of the old town, including most of the library associated with the School of Chartres , was destroyed by Allied bombs in 1944. Chartres

630-488: Is fringed in places by remains of the old fortifications, of which the Porte Guillaume (14th century), a gateway flanked by towers, was the most complete specimen, until destroyed by the retreating German army in the night of 15 to 16 August 1944. The steep, narrow streets of the old town contrast with the wide, shady boulevards which encircle it and separate it from the suburbs. The "parc André-Gagnon" or "Clos St. Jean",

675-563: Is given in mixed (boys and girls) establishments. The two main high schools are the Lycée Jehan de Beauce and the Lycée Marceau , named after two important personages of the history of Chartres: Jehan de Beauce was a 16th-century architect who rebuilt the northern steeple of the cathedral after it had been destroyed by lightning in July 1506, and Marceau , a native of city, who was a general during

720-704: Is the prefect ( French : préfet ). The prefecture is an administration that belongs to the Ministry of the Interior ; it is therefore in charge of the delivery of identity cards, driving licenses, passports, residency and work permits for foreigners, vehicle registration, registration of associations (creation, status modification, dissolution), as well as of the management of the National Police and firefighters , although as of 2018, 79% of firefighters in France are part-time volunteers. Prefectures are usually located near

765-532: Is the so-called " Leaning Tower of Pisa ", which is the campanile of the Duomo di Pisa in Pisa , Italy . In 1999 thirty-two Belgian belfries were added to the UNESCO 's list of World Heritage Sites . In 2005 this list was extended with one Belgian and twenty-three Northern French belfries and is since known as Belfries of Belgium and France . Most of these were attached to civil buildings, mainly city halls, as symbols of

810-576: The Angelus , a prayer recited in honour of the Incarnation of God . Oriental Orthodox Christians , such as Copts and Indians , use a breviary such as the Agpeya and Shehimo to pray the canonical hours seven times a day while facing in the eastward direction ; church bells are tolled, especially in monasteries, to mark these seven fixed prayer times (cf. Psalm 119:164 ). The Christian tradition of

855-476: The Christian Church . By the 11th century, bells housed in belltowers became commonplace. Historic bell towers exist throughout Europe. The Irish round towers are thought to have functioned in part as bell towers. Famous medieval European examples include Bruges ( Belfry of Bruges ), Ypres ( Cloth Hall, Ypres ), Ghent ( Belfry of Ghent ). Perhaps the most famous European free-standing bell tower, however,

900-628: The French Revolution . The Maison Picassiette , a house decorated inside and out with mosaics of shards of broken china and pottery, was built by Raymond Isidore. Chartres is one of the most important market towns in the region of Beauce (known as "the granary of France"). Historically, game pies and other delicacies of Chartres were well known, and the industries also included flour-milling, brewing, distilling, iron-founding, leather manufacture, perfumes, dyeing, stained glass, billiard requisites and hosiery. More recently, businesses include

945-707: The Lord's Prayer ; the injunction to pray the Lord's prayer thrice daily was given in Didache 8, 2 f., which, in turn, was influenced by the Jewish practice of praying thrice daily found in the Old Testament , specifically in Psalm 55:17 , which suggests "evening and morning and at noon", and Daniel 6:10 , in which the prophet Daniel prays thrice a day. The early Christians thus came to pray

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990-799: The French Revolution of 1789. Chartres has been a site of Catholic pilgrimages since the Middle Ages. The poet Charles Péguy (1873–1914) revived the pilgrimage route between Paris and Chartres before World War I . After the war, some students carried on the pilgrimage in his memory. Since 1982, the association Notre-Dame de Chrétienté , with offices in Versailles , organizes the annual 100 km (62 mi) pilgrimage on foot from Notre-Dame de Paris to Notre-Dame de Chartres . About 15,000 pilgrims, from France and countries outside France, participate every year. Notable bishops of Chartres : Chartres

1035-619: The French sixth division, and HB Chartres , who play in the seventh tier. Chartres has a table tennis club which is playing in the Pro A (French First division) and in the European Champions League . The club won the ETTU Cup on the season 2010 – 2011 and it finished at the second position in the French First division. Chartres has the second most important squash club in France. There

1080-563: The Germans were using it as an observation post. With his driver, Griffith proceeded to the cathedral and, after searching it all the way up its bell tower , confirmed to headquarters that it was empty of Germans. The order to destroy the cathedral was withdrawn. Colonel Griffith was killed in action later on that day in the town of Lèves , 3.5 kilometres (2.2 miles) north of Chartres. For his heroic action both at Chartres and Lèves, Colonel Griffith posthumously received several decorations awarded by

1125-457: The Lord's Prayer at 9 am, 12 pm and 3 pm; as such, in Christianity, many Lutheran and Anglican churches ring their church bells from belltowers three times a day: in the morning, at noon and in the evening calling Christians to recite the Lord's Prayer. Many Catholic Christian churches ring their bells thrice a day, at 6   a.m., noon, and 6   p.m., to call the faithful to recite

1170-608: The Middle Ages , it was the most important town of the Beauce . It gave its name to a county which was held by the counts of Blois , and the counts of Champagne , and afterwards by the House of Châtillon , a member of which sold it to the Crown in 1286. In 1417, during the Hundred Years' War , Chartres fell into the hands of the English, from whom it was recovered in 1432. In 1528, it was raised to

1215-409: The Prefect of Police of Bouches-du-Rhône, although it is formally less independent than that of Paris. Departments are divided into arrondissements , themselves divided into cantons . The chef-lieu d'arrondissement is the subprefecture ( French : sous-préfecture ). The official in charge is the subprefect ( French : sous-préfet ). There are relatively few competences associated to cantons,

1260-426: The U.S. Third Army commanded by Lieutenant General George S. Patton, Jr. Chartres is built on a hill on the left bank of the river Eure . Its renowned medieval cathedral is at the top of the hill, and its two spires are visible from miles away across the flat surrounding lands. To the southeast stretches the fertile plain of Beauce , the "granary of France", in which Chartres is the commercial centre. Chartres

1305-456: The apostles in enamel, created about 1547 by Léonard Limosin , which now can be seen in the fine arts museum. Other noteworthy churches of Chartres are Saint-Aignan (13th, 16th and 17th centuries), and Saint-Martin-au-Val (12th century), inside the Saint-Brice hospital. The river Eure, which at this point divides into three branches, is crossed by several bridges, some of them ancient, and

1350-471: The geographic centre of their departments; they were originally chosen for being within a day's travel on horseback from anywhere in the department. Therefore, the largest settlement in a department may not always be its prefecture: the department of Marne , for example, has its prefecture at Châlons-en-Champagne despite the city of Reims , near the Aisne border, being four times its size. The prefect represents

1395-771: The greater power the cities in the region got in the Middle Ages; a small number of buildings not connected with a belfry, such as bell towers of—or with their—churches, also occur on this same list ( details ). In the Middle Ages , cities sometimes kept their important documents in belfries. Not all are on a large scale; the "bell" tower of Katúň , in Slovakia , is typical of the many more modest structures that were once common in country areas. Archaic wooden bell towers survive adjoining churches in Lithuania and as well as in some parts of Poland . In Orthodox Eastern Europe bell ringing also has

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1440-404: The liturgy of the church service to signify to people that a particular part of the service has been reached. A bell tower may have a single bell, or a collection of bells which are tuned to a common scale. They may be stationary and chimed, rung randomly by swinging through a small arc, or swung through a full circle to enable the high degree of control of English change ringing . They may house

1485-472: The manufacture of electronic equipment and car accessories. Since 1976 the fashion and perfumes company Puig has had a production plant in this commune. The Gare de Chartres railway station offers frequent services to Paris, and a few daily connections to Le Mans , Nogent-le-Rotrou and Courtalain . The A11 motorway connects Chartres with Paris and Le Mans. Chartres is home to two semi-professional association football clubs; FC Chartres , who play in

1530-453: The most important one being the local organisation of elections, as cantons are electoral subdivisions. Bell tower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells , or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church , and will contain church bells , but there are also many secular bell towers, often part of a municipal building, an educational establishment, or

1575-462: The national government at the local level and as such exercises the powers that are constitutionally attributed to the national government. The prefect issues ordinances written for the application of local law: to close a building that does not conform to safety codes, or modify vehicular traffic regulations (speed limit, construction permits). The governing body of the department is the departmental council ( French : Conseil départemental ), which

1620-509: The president of the United States and the U.S. military, and also from the French government. Following deep reconnaissance missions in the region by the 3rd Cavalry Group and units of the 1139 Engineer Combat Group , and after heavy fighting in and around the city, Chartres was liberated, on 18 August 1944, by the U.S. 5th Infantry and 7th Armored Divisions belonging to the XX Corps of

1665-585: The rank of a duchy by Francis I . In 1568, during the second war of Religion , Chartres was unsuccessfully besieged by the Huguenot leader, the Prince of Condé . It was finally taken by the royal troops of Henry IV on 19 April 1591. On Sunday, 27 February 1594, the cathedral of Chartres was the site of the coronation of Henry IV after he converted to the Catholic faith, the only king of France whose coronation ceremony

1710-497: The rest of the war to be an important centre of operations. During World War II , the city suffered heavy damage by bombing and during the battle of Chartres in August 1944, but its cathedral was spared by an American Army officer who challenged the order to destroy it. On 16 August 1944, Colonel Welborn Barton Griffith, Jr. questioned the necessity of destroying the cathedral and volunteered to go behind enemy lines to find out whether

1755-425: The ringing of church bells from a belltower is analogous to Islamic tradition of the adhan (call to prayer) from a minaret . Old bell towers which are no longer used for their original purpose may be kept for their historic or architectural value, though in countries with a strong campanological tradition they often continue to have the bells rung. In 400 AD, Paulinus of Nola introduced church bells into

1800-470: The role of chief executive of the department. There is an exception in Paris in the Île-de-France region and its three surrounding departments, known as the Petite Couronne ("Small Crown"): Hauts-de-Seine to the west, Seine-Saint-Denis to the northeast and Val-de-Marne to the southeast. These departments are administered by an additional separate unitary prefecture for law enforcement and security purposes,

1845-406: The ruins of an ancient Celtic temple, later replaced by a Roman temple). Begun in 1205, the construction of Notre-Dame de Chartres was completed 66 years later. The stained glass windows of the cathedral were financed by guilds of merchants and craftsmen, and by wealthy noblemen, whose names appear at the bottom. It is not known how the famous and unique blue, bleu de Chartres , of the glass

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1890-535: Was created, and it has been impossible to replicate it. The French author Michel Pastoureau says that it could also be called bleu de Saint-Denis . The Église Saint-Pierre de Chartres was the church of the Benedictine Abbaye Saint-Père-en-Vallée , founded in the 7th century by queen Balthild . At time of its construction, the abbey was outside the walls of the city. It contains fine stained glass and, formerly, twelve representations of

1935-500: Was not performed in Reims . In 1674, Louis XIV raised Chartres from a duchy to a duchy peerage in favor of his nephew, Duke Philippe II of Orléans . The title of Duke of Chartres was hereditary in the House of Orléans , and given to the eldest son of the Duke of Orléans. During the 1870–1871 Franco-Prussian War , Chartres was seized by the Germans on 2 October 1870, and continued during

1980-658: Was one of the principal towns in Gaul of the Carnutes , a Celtic tribe. In the Gallo-Roman period, it was called Autricum , name derived from the river Autura (Eure), and afterwards civitas Carnutum , "city of the Carnutes", from which Chartres got its name. The city was raided and burned down by the Norsemen in 858, and once again besieged, this time unsuccessfully, by them in 911. During

2025-549: Was the birthplace of: Chartres is twinned with: Prefectures in France Although the administration of departments and regions is distinct, a regional prefect is ex officio prefect of the department in which the regional prefecture is located. The officeholder has authority upon the other prefects in the region on a range of matters. There are 101 prefectures in France , one for each department. The official in charge

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