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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The canonical houses 2-6 rue du Cloître-Notre-Dame in Chartres are part of a medieval architectural ensemble linked to the cathedral chapter. These buildings, built in the 13th century, were built around a paved courtyard and once housed commons and stables. They are part of the canonial cloister, a space protected by a wall erected in 1327 and pierced by nine doors, located on the ancient Roman Forum of Chartres. House No. 6, classified as a historical monument in 2007, maintains a dendrochronology-dated frame (wood cut down in 1254) and decorative wall paintings, while Nos. 2 and 4, inscribed in 2005, have carved tympanes.

Street des Changes, adjacent, formerly linked the cloister to the city via the gate of the same name, emphasizing the integration of this whole into medieval urban life. Today, these houses house commercial activities: the brewery Le Serpente (n°2) and the gallery Saint-Fulbert (n°6). Their heritage protection reflects their historical value, linked to both religious civil architecture and cartrain urbanism.

A dendrochronological study made it possible to date precisely the structure of the house n°6, revealing its origin in the middle of the 13th century. Cushion bays and painted decorations bear witness to the social status of canons, while the central courtyard and communes illustrate the collective organisation of these dwellings. The whole, private property, remains a rare example of canonical houses preserved in situ, in the immediate perimeter of Notre-Dame de Chartres Cathedral.

The canonial cloister, now partially visible, was a closed space reserved for canons, distinct from the city but connected by axes such as Rue des Changes. These houses reflect the balance between religious and urban life in the Middle Ages, where the cathedral chapter played a major economic and social role. Their preservation allows us to study the evolution of the uses of this neighborhood, marked by the superposition of the Roman, medieval and modern eras.

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