Cathedral Choir Screen

Above the choir screen at Chartres Cathedral are some 40 sculpted reliefs of biblical scenes, and other scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary. The scenes were sculpted by some of the best artists in France and were commissioned at different times over a 200 year period from 1510 to 1720.1

Made primarily in the Flamboyant Gothic with later additions in Renaissance and Baroque styles. The  scenes are made from finely carved limestone, with numerous life-sized statues of saints, apostles, and angels stand in niches and on columns, with pinnacles, traceries, and intricate foliage motifs characteristic of Gothic architecture.

Considered one of the most lavishly decorated choir screens in France, it reflects a transition between medieval and Renaissance religious art, with the evolution of style and iconography over two centuries.

The 16th century works are mainly by Jehan Soulas and François Marchand. Thomas Boudin worked on the screen in the early 17th century, and Simon Mazière provided the passion sequence works in the early 18th century. Other artists that worked on the screen were Jean Dedieu, Pierre Legros, and Jean-Baptiste Tuby.2

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  Jouanneaux, Françoise et Robert Malnoury Le Tour Du Choeur De La Cathédrale De Chartres Images Du Patrimoine AREP-Centre. Images Du Patrimoine Société archéologique et historique de l'Orléanais 2000.

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• 2.
  
  Jouanneaux, Françoise et Robert Malnoury Le Tour Du Choeur De La Cathédrale De Chartres Images Du Patrimoine AREP-Centre. Images Du Patrimoine Société archéologique et historique de l'Orléanais 2000.

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