American Friends of Chartres Inc

WELCOME TO AMERICAN FRIENDS OF CHARTRES’  JOIN IN FOR OUR THIRD PROJECT:  THE RESTORATION OF TWO MEDIEVAL STAINED- GLASS BAY WINDOWS, and THE RESTORATION OF SCULPTURES -- THE NATIVITY SCENE OF THE JUBÉ and 6 STATUE-COLUMNS. 

THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS who have helped us raise over $170,000 for the completion of Project two: the Restoration of the Bakers' Windows (Bay 140),

The Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Chartres is known to many for its towering figure over the wheat fields, southwest of Paris.

Built over 800 years ago, the simplicity of its lines, combined with the unsurpassed stone carvings and medieval stained-glass windows, make Chartres the iconic masterpiece of early Gothic architecture.

It has the largest collection of 12th and 13th-century stained-glass windows under one roof in the world.  In recognition of its importance, UNESCO placed Notre-Dame de Chartres on its list of World Heritage monuments in 1979.

Millions of people visit Chartres every year, with a majority of Americans.

The cathedral is a wonderful testimony to the friendship between the French and American people. The French people honor every year the memory of the Americans such as Colonel Welborn Griffith, who contributed to saving the cathedral from destruction at the end of WWII. Henry Adams’ Mont Saint-Michel and Chartres, published in 1904, still is one of the most informative books to entice Americans to discover the Cathedral.  Chartres continues to be a major destination for millions of visitors from all walks of life and beliefs.

Since 2006, American Friends of Chartres has financed the restoration of five lancet windows (see photo gallery) above the South Portal as our inaugural project. For our second project, we financed in a record two and a half years, the restoration of the Bakers' Windows (Bay 140). 

OUR THIRD PROJECT: THE RESTORATION OF TWO BAY-WINDOWS and SCULPTURES.

The two Bay Stained-Glass Windows are in the upper clerestory of the Northern Transept and tell the story of St Anne (on the West Side) and that of St Philip, St Jude and St André (on the East side).  We will also restore the Nativity scene of the Jubé and six statue columns of the 12th C. which, after restoration, will be permanently exhibited in the St Piat Chapel of the Cathedral, along with the Cathedral's Treasure. The Statue-Columns will also part of a temporary exhibit at the Cluny Museum of Medieval Art in Paris, in the Fall of 2018. 

JOIN US! Participate in this great project! You will be thanked for your tax-deductible contribution, and your name will be inscribed in the Golden Book which is always kept open in the Cathedral. In addition, your gift may be made IN HONOR of a special person or event, or IN MEMORY of a departed loved one, for no extra cost.   You will receive a special invitation to special events in the US, and we would like to welcome you in Chartres, France.

Our financing needs?

The cost of restoration of the Windows is $200,000 per window, and that of the sculptures about $80,000. This project is leading to the celebrations of the Cathedral's Millennium after 2020.  Every donation, large or small, is greatly appreciated and goes to return the beauty of glass to its original vibrancy.

How to donate? ONE CLICK.

DON'T WAIT... DONATE!!!! 

Each gift honors you with a title... and each gift pays for RESTORATION of a part of the window or of a sculpture.