In the 14th century, a chapel was built in the chevet axis of the Notre-Dame de Chartres cathedral to house the relics of Saint Piat. The relics were particularly venerated in the cathedral, which was proud to possess the entire body of this saint, whom hagiography confuses with his namesake, who is preserved in Tournai; a translation of the body was imagined to justify its presence in Chartres.
Established on the first floor of a chapter house that served the canons of the cathedral until the Revolution and that was converted into a bishops’ vault in 1905, this chapel was assigned to the presentation of the cathedral’s treasury in 1961. Due to inadequate conservation conditions, the treasure was closed in 2000, pending a program of work, which could be initiated since 2018.
After the restoration of the exterior (roofs, frames, facings, stained glass windows), the current project concerns the restoration of the interior of the chapel (masonry, wall paintings) and the museographic development of the future treasure on the two levels of the building.
On the lower level, the chapter house will mainly house the lapidary, in particular two major sculpted ensembles of the cathedral: the preserved reliefs of the 13th century rood screen, which was dismantled in 1763, as well as the columnar statues removed from the Royal Portal in the 1970s.
Accessible by a straight staircase from the ambulatory of the choir, the upper chapel will receive a series of display cases in which the cathedral’s ancient and modern silverware will be presented, as well as ex-voto or liturgical ornaments. All of these objects will be used for worship and will continue to be used during the various ceremonies that punctuate the rich religious life of the building.
Irène Jourd’heuil, curator of Historic Monuments
