Notre Dame de Chartres - About 90 km southwest of Paris, Chartres has been the destination of pilgrims for centuries, drawn by its cathedral (one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture in existence) and the purported relic housed therein, Mary's veil. The world's greatest collection of medieval stained glass was preserved during World War II through the efforts of the citizens of Chartres, who painstakingly removed it for protection. Its construction was begun on the foundation of earlier churches in 1145 and completed in 1220.