Chartres Cathedral, North Portal, Chartres, France by T. E. Smith-Lamothe

Canon G7

Recently cleaned of several centuries of grime, the North Portal was constructed between 1210 and 1220. The overall Cathedral building project itself somehow survived a catastrophic fire in 1194 while the Cathedral was under construction (the Cathedral was begun in 1134 and finished almost 130 years later in 1260 --- think about that: likely five generations lived during the construction period!). The Cathedral's windows are famous as they are some of the oldest stained glass in Europe. I have, myself, done some stone-carving, and the embodied effort on display in the portal's sculptures --- all done with the simplest of hand tools --- is truly over-whelming! It's a tribute to all the anonymous carvers who participated. Although many of the figures have deteriorated over the centuries, the imagination and humour of these Medieval artisans still manages to capture attention and awe.