Chartres’ cathedral is a stunning piece of architecture and art, not far from Paris. On its south side, there is a Flamboyant Gothic chapel commemorating the count of Vendôme. Why would there be such a chapel here, and who was the count of Vendôme anyway?

This article explains the history behind this chapel.

A brief history of the cathedral

Chartres’ cathedral existed in some form or another since the 4th century¹. Marauders destroyed it several times, including the Vikings in their annual raids on northern France¹. The church always rebuilt it¹.

One of the main Viking raids was the Battle of Chartres.

In the year 800, the Pope crowned Charlemagne the Holy Roman Emperor. One key aspect of his reign was to establish christianity as the main religion in Europe. From that point on, many nobles contributed to the cathedral for political reasons. These contributions served two purposes – it connected the church to them and showed the people they were generous and kind people.

Charlemagne is my direct ancestor; my 33 x great-grandfather.

The Gothic building that exists today is from 1220, with a few improvements over the years. One notable change is the addition of a chapel by Louis de Bourbon.

Why did Louis de Bourbon want a chapel here, of all places?

Louis de Bourbon

Louis was a 15th century count of Vendôme. In 1413 he was his imprisoned by his brother, who supported the Burgundians in the Hundred Years’ war^{2 3}. While in prison, he’d vowed he would raise a chapel dedicated to Our Lady, should he survive and be released^{1 2 3 4}. They released Louis on 25 March³ which is when the Catholic Church celebrates the Annunciation. Inspired by this coincidence, he went on a pilgrimage to Chartres’ Cathedral^{2 3} and fulfilled this promise on 31 May². On 2 June, he donated money and revenue from his estates for this³, and for masses². On 2 December 1414, the canons of Chartres’ cathedral gave him permission to build this chapel².

In 1415, he led a bataille of around 600 men on foot in the battle of Agincourt. This battle was a catastrophic loss for the French, despite their numerical superiority. The British captured many noblemen, Louis amongst them². They placed these prestigious prisoners for ransom in the Tower of London².

In his absence, craftsman Geoffroy Sevestre carried out the work in 1417⁵.

The chapel

The chapel is in the 5th bay of the southern aisle, i.e., to the right of the nave as you enter the cathedral^{2 4}.

The authorities let Louis tear down the wall of this bay for the chapel. The design of the chapel is in the Flamboyant Gothic style and is more modern than the rest of the cathedral^{1 3}. The chapel’s huge stained-glass window shows Louis and his family at the coronation of Our Lady^{2 3 4}.

The stained glass is a huge work of art, much larger than other windows in the cathedral⁴.

The stained glass

The window features three rows, or storeys⁴:

• On top, the coronation of the Virgin is in the centre. John the Baptist stands on her left, and St John the Divine on her right.
• In the middle, there are four pairs of donor images. From left to right, these are³:
  • Jacques de Bourbon, Louis’ elder brother, who had imprisoned him; and his second wife Joan of Naples.
  • Jean de Bourbon, Louis’ father; and his wife Catherine de Vendôme.
  • Janus de Lusignan, King of Cyprus; and his wife Charlotte de Bourbon, Louis’ sister.
  • Louis de Bourbon himself; and his wife, Blanche de Roucy.

Janus de Lusignan and Charlotte de Bourbon are my direct ancestors; they are my 14 x great-grandparents.

• At the bottom, winged angels hold the coats of arms of all the people represented. Not all the panels are present today, but pictures of the missing panel exist. From left to right, these are³:
  • Jacques: Naples (left) and Bourbon-Le Marche (right).
  • Joan: Naples and Bourbon-La Marche (left) and Naples (right).
  • Jean: Bourbon-La Marche
  • Catherine: Bourbon-La Marche (left) and Vendôme (right).
  • Janus de Lusignan: Jerusalem (left) and Cyprus (left).
  • Charlotte: Jerusalem and Cyprus (left) and Bourbon-La Manche.
  • Louis: Bourbon-La Marche (left) and Vendôme (right).
  • Blanche: Bourbon-La Marche and Vendôme (right) and Roucy (right).

It’s interesting to see how the painter represented the four couples. The women wear long dresses with ermine-trimmed overcoats with a split on the sides. Some of the women have bejewelled fronts. The three royal women wear crowns either because they are royalty, or as consorts. Blanche has her hair done up in medieval style. The female faces seem young, especially when compared to the grim or aged look of their husbands.

All in all, while the stained glass conveys religion, the four couples and their coats of arms take up more than half of it. This makes it a work of art that is more profane than religious³.

Afterwards

In 1446, Louis died. His family buried him in Vendôme but they cut his heart out and brought to this chapel².

The chapel underwent a few restorations, as did the stained glass. The panels containing the people disappeared during the French Revolution², as happened in many other churches. In 1920, glass painter Albert-Louis Bonnot, inspired by earlier paintings of the chapel, restored these missing panels^{2 3}.

Today, one of the panels with coats of arms is missing, pending restoration.

References

1. Chartres: guide of the cathedral; Houvet, Etienne; Chartres; 2006; p13[↩][↩][↩][↩][↩]
2. Bay 40 of the Chapelle de Vendôme: stained glass windows of Chartres Cathedral; Cordier, Jean-Yves; 2014-06-05[↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩]
3. Sauvanon, J. (1998). Femmes du Moyen-Age[↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩]
4. Site visit by author; 2024-06-15[↩][↩][↩][↩][↩]
5. Bay 40 of the Chapelle de Vendôme: stained glass windows of Chartres Cathedral; Cordier, Jean-Yves; 2014-06-05) ((Sauvanon, J. (1998). Femmes du Moyen-Age[↩]

Remember: links were correct at time of publication.