The Archaeological Society of Eure-et-Loir (Sael) proposed, last Friday, a conference entitled Chartres au XI e century, at the Apostrophe media library. An event hosted by Arlette Boué, lecturer in classics and grammar.
The opportunity to go back more than ten centuries and evoke life at that time, in all its aspects. It was Michel Ferronnière, president of Sael, who presented the speaker to the approximately 80 people present in the audience.
Arlette Boué detailed to the public: “My conference relies heavily on the cartulary of Saint-Père en Vallée, by the monk Paul. It is organized around two main axes: the appearance of the city, then the people, in particular the relationships between civil and religious powers.
The specialist added: “In the Middle Ages, towns had their vineyards. There were two essential needs behind these vines. First the religious need with the use of wine during services. Then the health aspect, because the wine was poured into the water to purify it. » Chartres, like many other towns, was surrounded by vineyards.
“Rivalry”
The city had numerous religious establishments: “Most of them outside the walls, because the new enclosure would not be built until the end of the following century. Very close to the cathedral stands the count’s tower, on the current location of Place Billard, which symbolized civil power. »
Arlette Boué returned to the relationships between the holders of civil (count and countess) and religious (abbots and bishops) power. Two very brilliant bishops marked this XI e century: Fulbert at the beginning of the century, and Yves at the end.
“There has always been a certain rivalry and even conflicting relations between civil and religious power, these tensions are mentioned in a writing by Fulbert dating from 1004,” said Arlette Boué.
