"There were major disputes between royal officials and the churches of Chartres, Poitiers & Lyons - and here the royal interests won." (Hallam & Everard 2001: 399) With the church losing in these disagreements with the government, another tall cathedral reaffirms their status. At this time, churches were being built in Northern France at ever increasing height, with Laon at 24 metres, Notre dame de Paris at 32 metres and Notre dame de Chartres at 35 metres. (See Kleiner et al 2001: 493)
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The funds to build this enormous cathedral came partly from the laity, many of whom wanted to see a fitting place for the housing of the cloak of the Virgin. Many people came to worship the objects connected with religious figures, called relics, that were stored in cathedrals through Europe during the Middle Ages. One of the most widely known relics was housed in Chartres cathedral.
This cloak, which was supposed to have been worn by the Virgin Mary at the Annunciation, was presented to Chartres by Charles the Bald in 878. (see Dunlop 1982: 28) The cloak of the Virgin was so respected by Christians through Europe that it had even saved the town from being attacked by foreign enemies, in 911 and 1119, in each case the attacker upon seeing the relic decided to spare the town. "The use made by the city of Chartres of its cathedral's most sacred relic...twice it was displayed in an effort to rescue the city from siege." (Scott 2003: 193) Such a widely known relic drew many pilgrims.
Pilgrims came from all over France and other countries to pay homage at the cathedral. Worship of the cloak of the Virgin became a cult, which the clergy did their best to encourage. "At Chartres [the clergy] tried to promote interest in the cult by means of an imposing building and a fantastic legendary history." (Coldstream 2002: 171) When most of the church burned down in 1194, the cloak managed to survive the fire.
The cloak happened to be brought out unharmed from the ashes of the cathedral, at the precise moment a member of the clergy was talking to a crowd about its possible rebuilding. Many townspeople took this to be a miracle, a sign that God had let the church burn down because He wanted a better church to be built to house such an important item.
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