‘The crypt,’ says Mr. Cecil Headlam (in his ‘Story of Chartres,’ which everyone who goes there should procure and read), ‘was not in origin a crypt, or a martyrium, or a meeting-house of prayer dug beneath the level of the soil, but a tiny church set on the crest of the hill and raised above the surface of the earth. It only became a crypt, properly so called, when it had been covered up and the surrounding soil raised by the débris and deposits of succeeding years, so that when the new church was built it was erected naturally upon the top of the old.... The crypt consists of two lateral galleries, which run from the western towers under the aisles of the upper church, and form a horseshoe curve beneath the choir and sanctuary 366 feet long and 17 to 18 feet broad; of two transepts, seven apsidal chapels, and the martyrium, which is under the choir of the upper church.’ [Illustration: APPROACHING CHARTRES ACROSS THE PLAIN OF LA BAUCE. The cathedral stands out before the roofs of the town appear owing to its great height. The passing of a squall of wind and rain gives great grandeur to the plain. (_Page 61._)] _Second Church._ Burnt by Normans in the ninth century. _Third or Fourth Church:_ 1020. Constructed under the wise Bishop Fulbert. 1037. Consecrated by his successor, Thierry. _c._ 1130-1145 or 1170. Western towers built in Transitional style. 1194. Fire consumed nearly all the church except the towers, the west front, and the crypt. 1210. Main body of existing building completed, but not consecrated. 1250-1280. The magnificent north and south portals, with many hundreds of statues and statuettes, built. The principal sculptures on the north represent the life of the Virgin; those on the south illustrate the Last Judgment. It should be remembered that when these remarkable porches were built the statues, mouldings, and carvings were painted and gilded, so that the effect must have more resembled St. Mark’s at Venice than any other European cathedral. 1260. Consecration of the new church (which was commenced immediately after the fire), in the presence of St. Louis (IX.). This building was erected by the generosity of clergy and pilgrims. 1506. Upper part of north tower destroyed by lightning. Rebuilt in Flamboyant style by Jean Texier, 1506-1514. Renaissance. The little clock-tower north of the west front, and the ambulatory screen. 1836. A very fierce fire occurred, but it only destroyed the lead covering and wooden framework of the roofs; the vaulting remained unharmed, although the bells in the tower were all melted.