Chartres

For other uses, see Chartres (disambiguation).

Chartres
Prefecture and commune
Cityscape with the Chartres Cathedral at the centre
Coat of arms
Location of Chartres
Chartres Location within France Chartres Location within Centre-Val de Loire
Coordinates: 48°27′22″N 1°29′02″E
Country	France
Region	Centre-Val de Loire
Department	Eure-et-Loir
Arrondissement	Chartres
Canton	Chartres-1, 2 and 3
Intercommunality	CA Chartres Métropole
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Jean-Pierre Gorges
Area 1	16.85 km2 (6.51 sq mi)
• Metro  (2020)	1,923.2 km2 (742.6 sq mi)
Population  (2023)	38,324
• Density	2,274/km2 (5,891/sq mi)
• Metro  (2023)	171,665
• Metro density	89.260/km2 (231.18/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	28085 /28000
Elevation	121–161 m (397–528 ft) (avg. 142 m or 466 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Chartres (French pronunciation: [ʃaʁtʁ] ^ⓘ) is the prefecture of the Eure-et-Loir department in the Centre-Val de Loire region in France. It is located about 90 km (56 mi) southwest of Paris. As of 2023, there were 171,665 inhabitants in the metropolitan area of Chartres (as defined by the INSEE), 38,324 of whom lived in the city (commune) of Chartres proper.

Chartres is famous worldwide for the Chartres Cathedral. Mostly constructed between 1193 and 1250, this Gothic cathedral is in an exceptional state of preservation. The majority of the original stained glass windows are intact, while the architecture has seen only minor changes since the early 13th century. Part of the old town, including most of the library associated with the School of Chartres, was destroyed by Allied bombs in 1944.