Photo : Fab5669 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Centre international du Vitrail de Chartres
The International Stained Glass Centre is set in Chartres, at 5 rue du Cardinal Pie, in the former Loëns cellar, next to the cathedral. This medieval building, built by the cathedral chapter around 1200 according to the centre's brochure, or in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries according to other sources, was used to store harvests. Used as a military warehouse under the Revolution, it has been protected as a historic monument since 1862. Its restoration received a European Heritage prize in 1986.
The vaulted hall in Berchères stone houses the centre, which is at once a place for exhibition, research, teaching and practice of stained glass. Each year, temporary exhibitions combine contemporary works and historic pieces.
Discovery workshops, by registration, introduce stained-glass techniques: glass painting, lead assembly, grisaille. The centre also hosts a school and professional training. It is aimed at amateurs, glass professionals and visitors to the cathedral.
