Chartres Cathedral Rose Windows: Iconography, Donors & Theology

The Cathedral of Chartres is renowned for its magnificent rose windows, each telling a distinct theological and historical narrative.

The North Rose Window: Old Testament Prefigurations and Royal Lineage

The North Rose window, a gift from Blanche of Castile, prominently features her heraldic sign, the castle, in the spandrels below the round rose. These castles are intertwined with the fleur-de-lis, the insignia of her son, Louis IX. The window's thematic program depicts Old Testament figures that prefigure those of the New Testament, reflecting the belief that the New Testament fulfills the Old.

At the center of the North Rose, the Virgin Mary holds the child Jesus, surrounded by fleur-de-lis. Above them are doves representing the Holy Spirit, flanked by censing angels and angels holding candles, with seraphim below. The next circle outward shows Christ surrounded by his ancestors, specifically 12 kings of Judah, arranged in the squares of the north rows: - King David at 12 o'clock - King Solomon at 1 o'clock - King Hezekiah at 7 o'clock - King Jehoram at 9 o'clock - King Rehoboam at 11 o'clock

In the semicircles at the outer edge, 12 prophets are depicted, from Amos at 1 o'clock to Malachi at 6 o'clock, and Hosea at the noon position. These figures are also surrounded by fleur-de-lis, the insignia of Saint Louis, within quatrefoil medallions.

Lancet Windows Below the North Rose

The lancet windows beneath the North Rose are crucial for understanding the transition from the Old Law to the New and for their familial genealogy. Saint Anne, holding the Virgin Mary above a shield emblazoned with the fleur-de-lis motif, would have immediately brought to mind Saint Louis and his mother, Blanche of Castile, for a 13th-century observer.

The north side of Chartres was dedicated to Saint Anne, who is also visible on the exterior in the trumeau of the north portal, holding the infant Mary. This north portal, directly beneath the great North Rose, was begun around 1204, coinciding with the cathedral's supposed acquisition of Saint Anne's head, brought from Constantinople during the Fourth Crusade.

The Anne and Mary figures in the Rose Lancets are flanked by Old Testament figures. These larger figures prefigure Christ as priests and kings, shown trampling smaller figures representing antichrists. - On the far left: King-Priest Melchizedek, holding a chalice (representing faith), with King Nebuchadnezzar (representing idolatry) beneath him. - To the left of Anne: King David with his harp, and beneath him, Saul, who committed suicide and was succeeded by David. - To the right of Anne: David's son Solomon, often seen as modeled on Louis IX, holding a scepter and a crown with the fleur-de-lis. Beneath Solomon is the "mad king" Jeroboam, an idolater worshipping golden calves. - On the far right: The high priest Aaron, with Pharaoh falling into the Red Sea beneath him.

The South Rose Window: Synthesis of Iconography and Political Context

The Great South Rose window, installed around 1225, offers a synthesis of Chartres' iconographic program. Its donor was Pierre Mauclerc, Count of Dreux and, by marriage, Duke of Brittany. Pierre was a significant adversary of Louis IX, whose father died when Louis was a child. Pierre Mauclerc led a coalition of nobles against Louis's succession, a rebellion ultimately suppressed by Thibaud, Count of Champagne. Thibaud, an accomplished poet, was rumored to be the lover of Louis's mother, Blanche of Castile.

Pierre Mauclerc's heraldic device is strategically placed at the base of the central lancet. He and his family are depicted on either side of the bases of the other four lancets: - Pierre kneels to the right. - His son John stands on the far right. Both wear tunics with the checkered blue and yellow pattern of the family arms. - Pierre's wife, Alix de Thouars, kneels on the left. - Their daughter, Yolande, stands on the far left. Both women are also dressed in the family armorial pattern.

The central lancet of the South Rose features Mary with the child Jesus, a thematic response to the depiction of Mary as a child in the North Rose. On either side, two major Old Testament prophets carry New Testament evangelists on their shoulders. This imagery echoes the words of Bernard of Chartres, the chancellor of Chartres: "We are as dwarfs mounted on the shoulders of giants, so that we can see more and further than they can; yet not by virtue of the keenness of our eyesight, nor through the tallness of our stature, but because we are raised and borne aloft upon that giant mass." - Jeremiah carries Luke. - Isaiah carries Matthew. - Ezekiel carries John. - Daniel carries Mark.

The West Rose Window: The Last Judgment

The West Rose window of Chartres reproduces the iconography of the Last Judgment on its interior. It also features the tetramorph, found on the central tympanum of the Royal Portal and the lancets of the South Rose. - At the center: Christ displays his bleeding wounds, seated among three series of 12 circles. - The inner elliptical circles: House eight angels in pairs between the four evangelists. - The larger circles of the ellipses: Contain the 12 apostles seated in pairs. Saint Peter is visible, holding his key. - Above Christ's head: Abraham cradles souls in his bosom, surrounded by multi-winged cherubim. - The outer circles: Angels carry the instruments of Christ's Passion. At 11 o'clock and 1 o'clock, angels blow trumpets announcing the Second Coming and the Day of Judgment. - Below them: The resurrected await their fate. - In the ellipse directly below Christ's feet: Saint Michael weighs the deeds of a sinner against a devil. - In the right ellipse (left of Christ): A demon prods souls towards hell, depicted as a giant gaping mouth in the lower outer circles. A sinner with a moneybag around his neck is notable. To the right, devils torture bodies on a rack, representing the torments of hell. - In the left ellipse (right of Christ): An angel leads saved souls to paradise regained.

Chartres Cathedral: A Theological and Historical Narrative

The extraordinary stained-glass windows of Chartres Cathedral serve as a "Bible of the poor" or the illiterate, illustrating biblical history and theological concepts. They move from Old Testament history as a prefiguration of the New, to New Testament stories as a fulfillment of the Old. The windows not only bear witness to the past but also offer a glimpse into the future, depicting the Second Coming of Christ, the Last Judgment with its separation of the damned from the saved, and the resurrection of souls at the end of time. Beyond its profound theological lessons and eschatological history, the cathedral also stands as a testament to everyday life and human history on Earth.