In partnership with the city of Chartres. From April 30 to January 14, 2023, the city of Chartres adorns itself with the most beautiful lights to rediscover the brilliance of its heritage. Jean-Pierre Gorges, mayor of Chartres, explains to us the challenges to be met each year.
Paris Match. Chartres en Lumières has existed since 2003. How to renew the event each year?
Jean-Pierre Gorges, mayor of Chartres. With money and above all ideas. We had the idea of Chartres en Lumières in 2003 to highlight the city’s monuments during works. It was announced on France 2 at the end of the television news and from then on we had a crazy world. It was proof that heritage appeals. In fact, the event is expanded each year. In 2003, we had put one million euros on the table but the period was shorter… Each year, it is therefore a competition of ideas to meet new technological and scenographic challenges, especially since Chartres en Lumières is held now practically all year round, from April to January.
In images, in pictures : the city of Chartres lights up
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The public responds with 1 million visitors each year. Is it important for a city like Chartres to offer a free and nocturnal activity to tourists who come every summer to visit the city and in particular the cathedral?
It’s a wonderful marketing product. Chartres en lumière is the largest proposal of its kind in terms of monuments and duration. We even observe the opposite phenomenon to the one you are describing. Sometimes visitors return during the day to discover the medieval town and the cathedral after discovering Chartres by night. It also helped to attract new residents who were seduced by the beauty of the city thanks to Chartres en lumière. This enhancement of heritage allows many indirect economic benefits. We also organize theatrical performances in the street, every evening, in order to offer a real complete show so that visitors stay all evening and even the night in Chartres.
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There is of course a historical dimension, with real know-how linked to Chartres and the cathedral. Is it a source of pride to showcase master glassmakers?
Sure. We have in Chartres an exceptional heritage that few cities have in France and even in the world. Especially with the cathedral and its magnificent stained glass windows. It is a unique cathedral, different from other great cathedrals like Notre-Dame de Paris. It was built in thirty years and in this, it is more coherent, more “pure”, with of course its ninety-four bays which accommodate the stained glass windows.
This year, twenty-one sites will be illuminated and offer a real route within the city. Do you still have places you dream of illuminating?
Chartres and its surroundings offer 105 churches and chapels, we still have heritage to show. In Chartres, the priests survived the kings (laughs). I am thinking in particular of the Saint-Martin-au-Val church. But it’s not just religious buildings. We also hope to illuminate viaducts and streets. We have lots of ideas. Thanks to a city start-up, the company Aglaé, we are going to associate nature more closely with light, in particular by exploiting the bioluminescence of plants.
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The carbon balance is largely positive
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You insist a lot on the ecological dimension of the event, is it also important to set an example by promoting innovation towards greener energies?
Yes, we want to highlight the gardens and the heritage. We removed the billboards, red lights, traffic is limited to 30 km / h. We want to limit visual pollution and that people take the time to walk around. The carbon footprint is largely positive as visitors abandon the car to wander around the city on foot.
Trailer: Chartres in lights 2022
September 17 will be the Festival of Light. Are there any surprises planned?
That day, we welcome a lot of people, it’s more and more complicated. 200,000 people are expected this year, so the Festival of Light will now be held every two years. It’s a magical moment during which we announce the novelties for the following year.
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