RT Article
T1 "May the Hatchet and the Hammer Never Damage It!": The Fate of the Cathedral of Chartres during the French Revolution
JF The catholic historical review
VO 92
IS 2
SP 193
OP 214
A1 Cooney, Mary Kathryn
LA English
YR 2006
UL https://ixtheo.de/Record/1788094891
AB According to a very dramatic account of Chartres during the French Revolution, the town's Gothic cathedral barely escaped destruction in November 1793 after the local Popular Society lobbied in favor of a proposal to tear it down. An in-depth examination casts some doubt on the veracity of this tale. Some of the sources that may have supported this story have since been destroyed, while the records of the municipal, district, and departmental governments make no mention of any such proposal. Furthermore, the actions of the local government on behalf of the cathedral throughout the Revolution reveal the offi cials' dedication to preserving its structural stability and sacred character. They could hardly have contemplated destroying a building that they had so painstakingly tried to maintain.
DO 10.1353/cat.2006.0129