1. Chartres Cathedral: Entering Through the Central Portal

1. Chartres Cathedral: Entering Through the Central Portal
As we are entering the Chartres cathedral through the central portal, we want to reach our destination of the apse. Our tour begins as we enter the central portal which represents the Last Judgment with Christ, Mary and John, as well as scenes depicting the Procession of the Chosen and the Damned. The central portal itself is surmounted by a stained glass clerestory that are 4 lancet windows, a rose window and a clerestory gallery surrounded by turrets and dominated by a gable. The lateral portals are topped by two open towers which do not exceed the height of the cathedral. This is the first thing we see on our tour to the apse. These are the main portals that are located in the south transept which contains three portals housed by a deep porch; the central portal being one of them.
The central portal is one of the three portals known collectively as the Royal Portal. There are two other portals which are known as the North and South Towers. However, the central portal is slightly a bit larger than the other two portals. Another known fact is there are six architectural features of the Chartres cathedral building which are grouped into three different parts. They include the gargoyles, the nave, the transepts, the flying buttresses, pillars and stained glass windows. We continue our tour after we see amazing stained glass windows, coming up to the next set of architectural features we see the gargoyles up in the North Tower which is located in Royal Portal of the Chartres Cathedral. As mentioned before, the central portal primarily theme focuses on the last judgment and includes a contrasts Old Testament kings and queens on the doors then ending with an apocalyptic vision of Saint John above the door.
The next feature we come across is the nave. The nave is a long, narrow aisle that houses the congregation. On the left and right of us are the side aisles. As we approach and enter the crossing, we see...