No tourist's French itinerary should exclude a visit to Chartres to see the magnificent cathedral.
Our first visit in 2010 was truly memorable with the only disappointment being that the famous rose window was obscured by scaffolding which prompted my wife to comment, "Why do they have to do that now? Did they not know I was coming?"
I have only recently learnt that an order was issued in 1944 by the advancing American Army to destroy the cathedral as it was believed that the Germans were using the tall spires as observation posts. An American Army officer questioned the command and volunteered to investigate whether such drastic action was necessary. Colonel Welborn Barton Griffith, Jnr went behind enemy lines to ascertain whether the cathedral was being used by the Germans. He and an enlisted soldier carried out this dangerous reconnaissance mission and returned to report that the Germans were not using the cathedral, thus saving it for posterity!
One can read the citations of the military honours bestowed on Col. Griffiths at:
Sadly Col. Griffith was killed in action in the town of Leves on 16 August 1944.
The photograph shows the intricate astronomical clock mounted on the wall of the cathedral.
OJ
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