{"id":3020,"date":"2026-06-11T12:04:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T12:04:00","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2026-06-11T14:36:04","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T14:36:04","slug":"pierre-de-bercheres","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aboutyou.name\/?p=3020","title":{"rendered":"Pierre de Berch\u00e8res"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ffd700;\"><span style=\"6px;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana;\"><strong>Pierre de Berch\u00e8res<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/userfiles\/image\/2019-pics\/BLP-aerial%20vw.jpg\" width=\"333\" height=\"142\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"277\" height=\"175\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/OguYYcqnzZ4\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ffd700;\"><strong><span style=\"6px;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana;\">GEOLOGICAL ORIGIN<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/userfiles\/image\/2020-pics\/Quarry-digging.jpg\" width=\"333\" height=\"324\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"6px;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana;\">It is a fine-grained cellular gravel limestone with the same density as marble or granite of 2.7 ton\/m3. It was deposited about 22 million years ago as sediment by streams into the marshy lowland of a lake known as &quot;Lac de Beauce&quot;, has been subject to erosion by periods of heavy rain alternating with seasonal drying in hot weather.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"6px;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana;\">Although the Berch&egrave;res stone does not contain fossils or snails, its geological environment does.&nbsp;During these 22 million years, successive cracking of the rock, caused cavities, and contribution of calcite (limestone dissolved by acid rainwater) closed these same cavities. The freeze-thaw phases of successive ice ages, fractured the surface rock.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"6px;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana;\">The cold winds of a temperate climate, brought fine dust that covered the rock over the millennia and formed the layer of fertile silt.&nbsp;This complex geological history has made it possible to conserve a layer of hard, very dense limestone, 2 &#8211; 4 m thick with remarkable mechanical characteristics, at shallow depth.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/userfiles\/image\/2019-pics\/Carriere-de-B-les-P.jpg\" width=\"333\" height=\"220\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ffd700;\"><strong><span style=\"6px;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana;\">Main qualities of the stone<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n&bull; <span style=\"6px;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana;\">Easy to polish (Beauce marble);<br \/>\n&bull; Non freezing once dried after extraction;<br \/>\n&bull; Huge resistance to vertical pressure (crushing);<br \/>\n&bull; Insensitive to stone &quot;diseases&quot; (leprosy, saltpeter, etc.);<br \/>\n&bull; lightly colored (beige yellow) and hardens over the years.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"6px;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana;\">This magnificent stone made Andr&eacute; Martin, the marble craftsman from Chartres who bought the quarry in 1946, say: &ldquo;We admire an exceptional and beautiful stone like a peasant admires a beautiful harvest. It is one of the finest materials, both in tone and in resistance.&rdquo;<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"6px;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana;\">The stone, used for the Cathedral, homes, and as street pavement, was prefabricated in the quarry to avoid the transport of waste materials. Berch&egrave;res stone was chosen for its resistance, and impermeability to weather and diseases.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/userfiles\/image\/2019-pics\/Finished%20block.jpg\" width=\"277\" height=\"183\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"6px;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana;\">Its extraction from the quarry in the village of Berch&egrave;res-les-Pierres went on for over 1000 years. The qualities of this stone have enabled its exploitation by thousands of devoted and courageous men who built the superb Gothic Cathedral of Chartres in only 66 years (1194-1260).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"6px;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana;\">This work, funded by the clergy, kings and Christian princes, brought together a mystical and passionate group of masters, companions, workers, thousands of pilgrims from afar, as well as the entire local population.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/userfiles\/image\/2019-pics\/Rock-cutters.jpg\" width=\"333\" height=\"189\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span style=\"6px;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.berch-pierre.fr\/les-carriers\/\"><span style=\"color: #ffd700;\">The quarrying technique<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"6px;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana;\">Remove the silt and the small stones to be used for blocking courtyards and paths and for the wall of local dwellings.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"6px;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana;\">O<\/span><\/span><span style=\"6px;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana;\">nce the stone bench was discovered, the quarrymen had to dig under this bench so that blocks of several tens of tons could come off. Meanwhile, vertical holes were drilled with metal wedges around the perimeter of the block to be extracted. The workers pushed the ground corners into the block until it came off the bench. This block was then &quot;spread out&quot; according to the order of the client.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"6px;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana;\">For 60 years, the stones were loaded onto a dunnage cart pulled by oxen or draft horses which took the 14 km &ldquo;path of the quarrymen&rdquo; to reach the cathedral square via various bridges. The stones, up to 7 tons, could also be loaded on boats to transport them to central Chartres via the Eure. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"6px;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana;\">As a penance, some pilgrims carried stones in handcarts or on their backs! Some were crushed by the stones and died.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/userfiles\/image\/2019-pics\/Rock-splitters.jpg\" width=\"333\" height=\"210\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"6px;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana;\">In 1886, there were still 27 quarries at Berch&egrave;res les Pierres, 6 in 1950, and only 1 in 1980.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"6px;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana;\">Mr. Andr&eacute; Martin, a marble worker in Chartres, bought the last quarry in 1946 and worked it until 1980, when there was so little stone left that the central government decided to keep the remainder for the future restauration of the Cathedral in Chartres. Mr. Martin&rsquo;s main innovation was to saw the stone into 3 to 5 cm thick slabs and polish it. This &quot;glazing&quot; allows this stone to be called &quot;Beauce marble&quot;.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"277\" height=\"175\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_FEvYTYhiNM\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/userfiles\/image\/2019-pics\/B-l-Pierres-visitors.jpeg\" width=\"333\" height=\"250\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"6px;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana;\">The stone was used for the external cladding of the town hall of Chartres, the old library (900 m&sup2; of veneer), and other buildings and houses in the city.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/userfiles\/image\/2020-pics\/Plumbing-foundation.jpg\" width=\"277\" height=\"175\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"6px;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana;\">Mr. Martin also made more than 30 Berch&egrave;res stone altars in places of worship throughout France. A fine example is the church of Rech&egrave;vres, place de l&#8217;Abb&eacute; Stock, as well as that of Dangeau, whose plateau was cut from a 10-ton block.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/userfiles\/image\/2019-pics\/logo-BerchPierre.jpg\" width=\"177\" height=\"177\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"6px;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana;\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.berch-pierre.fr\"><span style=\"color: #ffd700;\">Berch-Pierre association<\/span><\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.berch-pierre.fr\/les-costumes-medievaux\/\"><span style=\"color: #ffd700;\">commemorates this link<\/span><\/a> and the very hard journeys of 800 years ago, by organizing every June, a hike to retrace the footsteps of the quarrymen along this historic 14 km mythical &quot;chemin des quarries&quot;, called La Berch&eacute;roise, starting at the Bercheres-les-Pierres quarry.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/userfiles\/image\/2019-pics\/La-bercheroise.jpeg\" width=\"277\" height=\"163\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ffd700;\"><strong><span style=\"6px;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana;\">The roads that existed in the 13th century<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"6px;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana;\">There were ancient Roman roads, two of which passed near Berch&egrave;res:<br \/>\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"6px;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana;\">Allonnes towards Allaines, the way VII or &quot;the way of C&eacute;sar&quot; (traced in red)<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"6px;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana;\">Voves, track XVI which is a deviation from the path from Chartres to Orl&eacute;ans (outlined in green)<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"6px;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana;\">Track IX was that of Chartres-Varize which passes through Dammarie and Morancez (blue line).<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/userfiles\/image\/2019-pics\/routes-au-13th-siecle.png\" width=\"277\" height=\"238\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/userfiles\/image\/2019-pics\/vitrail%20de%20St%20Nicolas,%20baie%2014_.png\" width=\"277\" height=\"127\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/userfiles\/image\/2019-pics\/Wagon-carrying-rock.jpg\" width=\"277\" height=\"196\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/userfiles\/image\/2019-pics\/tailleur_pierre.jpg\" width=\"277\" height=\"136\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"6px;\"><span style=\"color: #ffd700;\"><strong><span style=\"font-family: Verdana;\">The main characters in the construction of<br \/>\nthe Chartres cathedral (1194-1260)<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"6px;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana;\">Three categories of people are behind this impressive development since it is the only cathedral that has been erected so quickly:<br \/>\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffd700;\"><span style=\"6px;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana;\">Sponsors<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"6px;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana;\">: the Chapter with its very powerful bishops in the Middle Ages such as the instigator of the previous cathedral, Bishop Fulbert who found sufficient funds. He allowed his successor Geoffroy de L&egrave;ves to build the royal portal after the fire of 1134. In 1194, after a new fire, it was Bishop Renaud de Mou&ccedil;on who would return to launch the construction of the 6th and final version consecrated by King Louis IX.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffd700;\"><span style=\"6px;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana;\">Builders<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"6px;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana;\">: The anonymous master masons, prime contractors of Chartres as well as Simon Daguon, B&eacute;renger and Jehan le Texier also named Jehan de Beauce.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"6px;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana;\"><span style=\"color: #ffd700;\">Donors<\/span>: The Kings of France and Denmark, the count of Chartres, the dukes of Aquitaine and Normandy, plus the many local farmer taxpayers, called the Beaucerons.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"6px;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana;\">The revenue from the flow of 10.000&rsquo;s of pilgrims visiting the well of Saints-Forts, the Black Virgin, and the miracles of Chartres, especially Le Voile de La Virgin Mary. It was donated by Charles the Bald about 876.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"277\" height=\"175\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/WSoVLlF1-5c\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><span style=\"2px;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana;\"><strong><a href=\"?p=3021\"><span style=\"color: #ffd700;\">read more &#8230;<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\">&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pierre de Berch\u00e8res GEOLOGICAL ORIGIN It is a fine-grained cellular gravel limestone with the same density as marble or granite of 2.7 ton\/m3. It was deposited about 22 million years ago as sediment by streams into the marshy lowland of a lake known as &quot;Lac de Beauce&quot;, has been subject to erosion by periods of&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3307,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3020","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/aboutyou.name\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3020","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/aboutyou.name\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/aboutyou.name\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aboutyou.name\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aboutyou.name\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3020"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/aboutyou.name\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3020\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3310,"href":"https:\/\/aboutyou.name\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3020\/revisions\/3310"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aboutyou.name\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3307"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/aboutyou.name\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3020"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aboutyou.name\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3020"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aboutyou.name\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3020"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}