France, Chartres, Châteaudun Braun & Hogenberg, 1581, Chartres / Chasteaudun

Antique 16th century copper engraving with two bird's eye views by Braun and Hogenberg: Chartres and Châteaudun.

CHARTRES

TRANSLATION OF THE TEXT OF THE CARTOUCHE: Autricum, according to Ptolemy, a city of Lugdunian Gaul; in French, with Villa nova, Chartres.

BRAUN'S COMMENTARY: "The Druids are said to have inhabited the countryside west of Paris, namely the countryside of Carnutum, which is very large and broad. The noblest church in the city is dedicated to Our Lady, and has been converted from the superstitious idolatry of the pagans into a holy and chaste practice of the true religion. Bishop Gancellinus hung the tunic of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is reverently preserved there, on a long lance. When a crowd of lansquenets harassed him, he fled with it victoriously."

Chartres, situated on the Eure, is visible from the southeast as the crow flies. Overlooking the city with its many gardens and fields stands the famous Notre-Dame Cathedral, built in the 13th century on the foundations of the old Romanesque church after the fire of 1194. It is the oldest Flamboyant Gothic cathedral still almost completely preserved today and has served as a model for many other Gothic churches. Measuring over 130 m long, the church stands on the site where, in pre-Christian times, a Virgo paritura (a virgin about to give birth) was already venerated. Under Charles the Bald, the church was consecrated in 876 AD with the reliquary of the Virgin Mary's tunic; Chartres subsequently became an important place of pilgrimage for the Marian cult in medieval Europe, which also brought economic prosperity to the city. The cathedral school also became an important centre of learning in the Middle Ages.

CHÂTEAUDUN

CARTOUCHE: Châteaudun, capital of the Frankish county of Dunois.

BRAUN'S COMMENTARY: "The town seems to cling to a cliff and is so cleverly constructed that one might say that it is suspended high up like a swallow's nest. That this town was once much larger than it is today is attested by the many ruined churches that can now be seen in the vicinity."

Châteaudun, located not far from Orléans and Chartres, is shown in a bird's eye view from the east, clearly showing how the town leans against the ridge on the right. The castle, visible at the top right, with its dominant 12th-century keep, became famous as the residence of Jean de Dunois, the companion-in-arms of the Maid of Orléans: rebuilt and enlarged several times over the years, the medieval fortress above the Loir (a tributary of the Loire) was transformed in the 16th century into a palace in Gothic and Renaissance style. On the upper left edge of the engraving is the church of La Madeleine. (Taschen)

Published in the Braun-Hogenberg atlas "Urbis Terrarum", 1581.

Very good. Clean paper. Wide margins. Text on the reverse in Latin.

Image 33x48cm, page 40x51.5cm