Chartres

Chartres (ancient Carnutes, Autricum, civitas Carnutum), town in north central France, capital of the Eure-et-Loir Department of the Centre administrative region, on the River Eure. It is an agricultural and manufacturing centre; products include machinery, electronic equipment, fertilizer, and leather goods. Chartres consists of an upper and a lower town connected by steep streets. The highest point of the town is crowned by the famous Cathedral of Notre Dame (12th and 13th century), noted for the beauty of its south spire, its sculpture, its magnificent 13th-century stained-glass windows, and its Renaissance choir screen. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979.

An ancient settlement, Chartres was burned by the Normans in ad 858 and passed to the French Crown in 1286. In 1594 Henry IV was crowned King of France at Chartres. Population 39,800 (2005 estimate).