Par Laurent REBOURS
Published on 7 Jun 22 at 12:57
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Nothing seems to stop the author of Chartres (Eure-et-Loir) Jean-Francois Vivier so prolific is he in the writing of chiselled scenarios, put into images by talented designers.
He recently released the story of General de Sonis with Emmanuel Cerisier at Plein Vent editions. But this time he tackled the genesis of this stone vessel which is the emblem of Chartres, its cathedral and, for the occasion, he approached the designer Of Christmas and even created his own publishing house, Atlantis.
Back to Carolingian times
–All his achievements are obviously close to his heart, but obviously this one, Chartres, history of a cathedralis certainly to be placed on the highest step.
Because it evokes his city of heart, because it traces the genesis of a building with historical, symbolic and mystical global significance, because it is the first time that he has tackled this subject.
Jean-François Vivier, in fifty-six pages, immerses the reader in the origins of the cathedral, in the Carolingian period, in particular with the gift of Charles the Bald of Veil of the Virgin making Chartres a first-class sanctuary.
This part was quite a lot of research because there are very few documents and we had to be as plausible as possible. I looked through quite a few history books until the first fire.
The 1000 years of the crypt in 2024
–The cathedral was burnt down in August 962 and again struck by lightning in september 1020.
The bishop Fulbert begins its reconstruction with two levels with differentiated access. “The crypt was then a low floor which was finished in 1024, in 2024 we will therefore be 1000 years old” notes the author.
–A crypt dedicated to the veneration of relics while the upper floor was assigned to ceremonies presided over by the bishop.
Jean-François Vivier invites his reader to travel through centuries, eras, styles, currents of thought, from Romanesque to Gothic. A stroll like the one a visitor can experience in this extraordinary building.
He likes to intertwine small and big story like that of the jube (the monumental fence that separates the choir from the nave) destroyed in the 18th century.
I prefer to bring a warning, we could not be exhaustive, we had to make choices otherwise we could have written a good twenty volumes! So there are biases, accents placed on this or that aspect, this is my story of the cathedral.
When a grandfather exchanges with his grandson
–As he particularly likes it, the author places the human being in the forefront. Here, this story takes shape in the mouth of a grandfather transmitting his teaching to his grandson.
It is not so much a question of shelling dates one after the other as of immersing oneself in what such a cathedral which has crossed the centuries can represent.
A cathedral that is an integral part of our history “ but which is not a museum insists Jean-François Vivier, as it has never been so lively “with a real community attached to it”.
–The beauty of the building attracts visitors from all over the world, the perfection of its lines, its proportions, its stained glass windows or its sculptures, never ceases to fascinate. And, beyond that, it thrills hundreds of thousands of pilgrims each year.
█ Practical: Large format prints of this Chartres, history of a cathedral comic book can be found at the Edicule Place des Halles in Chartres from Tuesday, June 7. A signing session by Jean-François Vivier and Denoël, at the same time as the official launch of the comic strip, is scheduled for Saturday June 11, 2022 from 2 p.m. at the Edicule. The book is also available in good bookshops in Chartres, l’Amsperluète or BD Flash.
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