West Façade, Chartres Cathedral, France

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Rilke's Cathedral Cycle describes an idealised Gothic Cathedral with various architectural and sculptural details. For Rilke, the cathedral embodies the spirit of the middle ages. While the smiling angel with a sun dial is specifically linked to Chartres Cathedral, the other details – a portal, a rose window, and a capital – are universal and imagined. In this image of the west façade of Chartres Cathedral, two of those features can be seen: the rose window, which depicts the Last Judgement; and, beneath it, the portal, with its sculpted theological images.