Leaving the station, go down the Rue Jean de Beauce, cross to the far
corner of the Place Châtelet, go down the Rue Sainte Même, take the
first turning to the left down the Rue du Cheval Blanc, and keeping up
to the right, where the street divides, you come out opposite the west
front of the Cathedral. Go down the Rue des Changes (opposite the south
porch of the Cathedral), and turning to the left before reaching the
Place Billard (the old site of the Castle of the Counts) reach the Place
de la Poissonnerie (fish-market: Maison du Saumon). Pass on into the Rue
S. Eman, and turning to the right pass Queen Bertha’s staircase, which
is in the Rue des Écuyers, opposite the Rue du Bourg. Bearing up the Rue
des Écuyers, follow the Rue S. Pierre. You leave the Church of S. Aignan
on your right and arrive at the old Abbey Church of S. Père. Leaving the
Place S. Pierre by the Rue du Pont S. Hilaire at the eastern corner of
it, cross the water and turn sharp to the left down the Rue Foulerie,
which skirts the river with its picturesque tanneries and wash-houses.
You pass on the right the street leading down to the Porte Guillaume.
Continuing, the Rue de la Foulerie becomes the Rue de la Tannerie, and
the Rue de la Tannerie the Rue Massacre. Cross the river and visit the
ruined Church of S. André, then go down the Rue de la Brèche. The Chapel
of Notre-Dame de la Brèche is on the right in this street, which runs
into the Place Drouaise. Before reaching this take the turn to the left
up the Rue Muret, which winds up into the Rue du Cardinal Pie (formerly
called the Rue du Marché de Filasse), from which a picturesque archway
leads through the old cloister buildings into the Rue S. Ives, which
opens on the north porch of the Cathedral. The Bishop’s Palace is now on
your left.
The promenade[104] known as the Tour de la Ville, at the foot of the
ancient ramparts and round the old moat of the town, should not be
omitted. You will start naturally from the Place Châtelet, down the
Promenade des Charbonniers, which brings you to the Place Drouaise, and
so on across the Pont Neuf to the Porte Guillaume and the Boulevard de
la Porte Morard. Hence the Rue du Pont de la Courtille leads to the
Place S. Michel, and thence by the Boulevard Chasles to the Place des
Epars.
The Rue Régnier leads from the Boulevard Chasles to the Place des
Halles.
Some magnificent views of the Cathedral and the town, and ‘bits’ of the
old walls and moat, will be obtained in the course of this circuit.
EXPEDITIONS.
The Château de Maintenon (Duc de Noailles) lies on the line between
Chartres and Paris, and, with its waterworks, is well worth a visit.
Other châteaux in the neighbourhood are those of Villebon, near
Courville, which belongs to the Marquis de Pontoi-Poncarré, and
Éclimont, near Gallardon, the property of the Duc de La Rochefoucauld.
DATES OF THE CHIEF FESTIVALS AT CHARTRES.
May 31.--Notre-Dame du Pilier.
August 15.--Feast of the Assumption.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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