In 1316, several experienced master builders were summoned to the construction site in Chartres at the request of the cathedral chapter. They came from Paris. Serious incidents had recently occurred, although the edifice had been completed barely seventy-five years earlier. From the description of the observed “disorders,” it is easy to understand why the canons became alarmed and decided to seek the best advice, fearing that the situation might deteriorate further. In fact, the structural defects (rare as they are) known today had already begun to manifest in the decades following the construction of the Gothic cathedral.
What remains is an extraordinary document because it analyzes all the “weak points” of the edifice. Furthermore, it immerses us in the reality of a medieval construction site at the decision-making level: discussions among specialists, on-site observations, and visit reports. Although the terms of these reports may initially seem rather naive, they are, in fact, based on immediate insights of remarkable technical precision.
We are publishing this text from the chapter archives for the first time since 1900, when it appeared in the annals of the French Archaeological Congress. Until now, certain passages of the document had not been fully understood, but recent renovation work has clarified their references. As a result, several of the comments included here are entirely new.
Extract dated September 6, 1316 (1) :
« Item, dicta die, viri venerabiles et discreti, domini et magistri R. cancellarius, R. de Hanesiis, P. de Condeto et J. de Reate (2), canonici Carnotenses, deputati sunt, ex parte capituli, ad videndum defectus existentes (3) in ecclesia et circa ecclesiam Carnotensem, unacum magistris Nicolao de Chaumes, magistro operis régis Francorum, magistro Petro de Chielle, magistro fabrice ecclesie B. Marie Parisiensis, et magistro Jacobo de Lonjumel, magistro carpentario et jurato de Paris ». (4)
« Also, (5) on this day, the eminent and venerable masters and lords, R. Chancellor, R. ‘de Hanessiis,’ P. ‘de Condeto,’ and J. ‘de Reate,’ canons of Chartres, are deputed, on behalf of the chapter, to inspect the defects present in and around the church of Chartres, accompanied by Master Nicolas de Chaumes, master of works for the King of France, Master Pierre de Chelles, master of construction for the Church of the Blessed Mary [Notre Dame] of Paris, and Master Jacques de Longjumeau, master carpenter and sworn juror of Paris. »
(1) Chartres Library, ms. 7 A, no. 1007.
(2) Canon J. de Reate was a native of Rieti, Italy: this is not the only example, in the Middle Ages, of an Italian cleric being part of the Chapter of Chartres. It is possible that Master J. de Reate was quite knowledgeable about matters of architecture; we shall see that he was appointed to assist the experts and accompany them on their inspection.
(3) If the mentioned canons decided to expand the expertise, the “existing defects” that alarmed them were surely related to the disorder in the crossing of the transept. These issues are clearly the most spectacular and concerning.
[See further details]
(4) «Among the numerous responsibilities that fell to medieval architects, those of expert consultants were often entrusted to them. Cathedral factories, for example, as well as royal or seigneurial officials in charge of the preservation and maintenance of monuments, frequently called upon skilled builders to inspect structures in need of repair. The experts would confer among themselves and draft reports specifying the type of work to be carried out, prioritizing tasks according to urgency and outlining precautions to either prevent defects or avert accidents.
A number of expert reports from the 14th and 15th centuries exist, but those from the early years of the 14th century are of particular interest due to their antiquity.
The text highlights prominent practitioners from the Île-de-France region, who had long proven their expertise and whose knowledge and experience were indisputable.»
[Based on Mortet – introduction to the text published during the 1900 archaeological congress in Chartres].
(5) The text being evidently ‘conceived’ in French, we have chosen to make a translation deliberately very close to the original text.
The experts called from Paris to perform the service they were asked to do were compensated for their trouble by the Chapter of Chartres, with a sum of sixty Parisian livres, plus ten sous granted to each of the servants who accompanied them..
This is what we learn from another extract:
“Anno (1) Domini M CCC° decimo sexto, die jovis post festum Nativitatis B. Marie Virginis, presentibus viris venerabilibus et discretis dominis et magistris Th. decano, G. Arresnardi, gerente se pro archidiacono Dunensi, Egidio, archidiacono Vindocinensi, R. cancellario, Stephano de Borreto, P. de Ruppeforti, vicecomite, P. de Chambliaco, Philippo de Planciaco, R. de Hanesiis, Conraldo, P. de Scronis, P. de Fusiaco, L. de Chambliaco, P. de Condeto, Galgano, Egidio de Cheseyo, Guillelmo Choleti, G. de Granchia, J. de Reate, canonicis Carnotensibus , ordinatum fuit et concordatum quod dentur et distribuantur pecuniis (2) fabrice ecclesie Carnotensis, tam pro pena, laboribus suis, quam curialitatis gracia sibi factis, quam pro expensis suis factis et faciendis, providis viris magistris Petro Chielle, magistro civitatis et suburbii Parisiensis, Nicolao de Chaumes, magistro fabrice seu operis regis, Jacobo de Longo Jumelli, magistro carpentario Parisiensi, conjunctim, sexaginta libras Parisienses ; item, cuilibet valletorum suorum X, sol.”
« In the year 1316, on Thursday after the Feast of the Nativity of the Virgin, in the presence of the venerable and eminent lords, Master Thibaut, dean, G. Arresnard, acting for the archdeacon of Dunois, Gilles, archdeacon of Vendôme, R., chancellor, Etienne ‘de Borreto,’ P. de Rochefort, viscount (3), P. ‘de Chambliaco,’ Philippe ‘de Planciaco,’ R. ‘de Hanesiis,’ Conrad, P. ‘de Scronis,’ P. ‘de Fusiaco,’ L. ‘de Chambliaco,’ P. ‘de Condeto,’ Gargan, Gilles ‘de Cheseyo,’ Guillaume Cholet, G. ‘de Granchia,’ J. ‘de Reate,’ canons of Chartres, it was agreed and decided, both for their work and efforts, as well as for the inquiry they conducted and the expenses they have incurred and still need to incur, [that they would be compensated] together with sixty livres of Paris: the respected masters Pierre de Chelles, master of the city and suburbs of Paris, Nicolas de Chaumes, master of the fabric, otherwise known as the work of the king, Jacques de Longjumeau, master carpenter of Paris. Also, to each of their servants, ten sous.
(1) Lecocq, Memoirs of the Archaeological Society, Volume 6.
(2) In 1372 in Troyes, the accounts of the cathedral report a gratuity of this kind: « Pro curialitate facta lathomis ecclesie et aliis operariis, qui de nocte in sabbato post festum Assumptionis B. Marie Virginis retinuerunt fossam novi pillerii, V sol ».
(J. Quicherat: Note on registers of the Work of the Cathedral of Troyes, p. 199). Cf. École des Chartes Library, XXIII, p. 234: “As a courtesy to the master masons, to set the key on top of the door frame at the entrance to the choir. ».
(3) What does secular power have to do with this matter? It is probably better to interpret it as ‘vidame’.
Next part: the expert report