Saving the Light at Chartres
How the Great Cathedral and Its Stained-Glass Treasures Were Rescued during World War II
By Victor A. Pollak
Globe Pequot / Stackpole Books
Pages: 440
Trim: 6½ x 9½
978-0-8117-3901-6 • Hardback • March 16, 2020
978-0-8117-6897-9 • eBook • March 16, 2020
Subjects: History / Miitary / World War II
SYNOPSIS
Chartres Cathedral is one of the jewels of Western Civilization. It was built around the year 1200 and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site that draws more than a million visitors and pilgrims each year. How Chartres Cathedral and its priceless stained glass (today the largest such collection in one location) survived World War II’s widespread destruction of cultural monuments is one of the great stories of recent history.
Saving the Light at Chartres begins half a decade before World War II, when Achille Carlier, a young French architect developed a plan to save the cathedral’s precious stained glass. As war engulfed Europe in the fall of 1939, master glass artisans dismantled the hundreds of windows, and soldiers, tradesmen, and laborers with local volunteers crated thousands of glass panels, stowed them in the crypt, and months later—just before German invaders reached Chartres—hauled them across the country to an underground quarry.
This effort to save the stained glass is but a prologue. By August 1944, the U.S. Army had broken out of Normandy and raced across France toward Paris and the Seine. Chartres became a key battleground. Allied bombing blew out the cathedral’s temporary window coverings, and when the Americans—assisted by French Resistance fighters—entered the city in the face of unexpectedly heavy defiance and snipers in the cathedral, many soldiers believed German artillery spotters were occupying the cathedral’s spires. When Colonel Welborn Griffith Jr.—a senior operations officer of Twentieth Corps in Patton’s Third Army—arrived, some field commanders were pressing to countermand the army’s standing order to avoid the cathedral and threatened to destroy it to neutralize the German spotters. Griffith was skeptical. He inspected the cathedral himself, climbed its towers, but found no Germans, so he rang the bell, waved an American flag, and ordered that the cathedral be spared, saving it from destruction. Griffith would be killed later that day.
Pollak braids together both stories in a compelling narrative—Carlier spearheading a citizens campaign to force the government to rescue the windows, and Colonel Griffith’s fateful role saving the cathedral. Saving the Light at Chartres honors the citizen campaigners, the government and local teams who saved the windows, the Resistance that performed a vital role in the liberation of Chartres, Welborn Griffith, and the enduring treasure that is Chartres Cathedral.
Victor Pollak, writer and lawyer, has traveled frequently in Europe, including France, where he became fascinated learning about preservation of cultural monuments, accomplished so successfully by the French. He has also visited the Middle East, Mexico and South America. Saving the Light at Chartres is his first book. He divides his time between Arizona and Washington’s Olympic peninsula.
READ THE REVIEWS
Excerpts from selected published reviews
“Great book, well researched & well written. I have read too many books to count on the European theatre in WW2, this book adds a new element, very interesting and engaging.” -- Joe A. Bybee
“A vivid, human story of art, courage, and survival. I picked up Saving the Light at Chartres expecting a dry military history, but what I got was a deeply human story about courage, art, and what it means to protect beauty during chaos. Pollak brings to life the race to save Chartres Cathedral’s priceless stained-glass windows before WWII bombs could shatter them.*** For anyone who loves history, architecture, or stories of moral conviction, this is a remarkable read.” — Uriela Quill
“Pollak blends meticulous research with narrative flair: the descriptions of the cathedral’s stained-glass windows were rich and vivid, and the behind the scenes efforts to save them felt suspenseful. I found myself almost holding my breath, wondering whether each piece would survive. For anyone fascinated by church history, wartime heroism, or art preservation, this book delivers on all fronts. It’s not just about stone and glass it’s about courage, identity and memory. A compelling read that left me admiring the resilience of both human and cultural heritage.” -- Brian Samson
“One highlight for me was how the book illustrated the tension between sacred space and military strategy, and how that collision shaped the fate of the stained-glass treasures. The author balances big historical questions war, art, spirituality with human stories of those who risked everything to protect beauty. I was surprised how emotional parts of the book got not in a melodramatic way, but in a deeply respectful way. Highly recommended for lovers of architecture, wartime history or just a good, thoughtful story.” -- Vivienna Clarke
“There’s a moment reading this book where you stop thinking of stained glass windows as decorative and start seeing them as fragile time capsules. Pollak opens that door. The story of how the great windows of Chartres were shielded, relocated, or secured during the Nazi advance reads like a thriller, but it’s grounded in authentic historical research. What I loved: the reverence the author has for his subject, and his ability to make technical conservation issues accessible to non-specialists.” — John Harris
:“Reading this book felt like walking through a sacred labyrinth of history. Pollak takes us from the early, almost forgotten plans to safeguard the great windows of Chartres Cathedral, to that tense moment in 1944 when allied forces and resistance fighters faced a decision: destroy a symbol of heritage or preserve it. He weaves in art, war, faith and human choice in a way that made me pause and reflect.” -- Sandra Coffee
“An unforgettable tribute to art and quiet heroism. This book took me by surprise. I expected a dry historical account but found myself deeply moved by the bravery and moral clarity of the people who protected Chartres Cathedral during WWII. Pollak’s storytelling is careful, respectful, and filled with small moments that make history come alive.” -- Sarah Roberts
“That dual focus, art preservation and military strategy, makes the narrative compelling.” -- James Keller
“I can’t stop thinking about this book. It’s detailed without ever being boring, and emotional without ever feeling forced. The author has a gift for describing the glow and spirit of the cathedral windows in a way that makes you want to see them in person. I found the WWII backdrop fascinating, but what moved me most were the individuals who made impossible decisions to protect beauty. A deeply satisfying read.” -- Elizabeth Bennett
“The pacing, the detail, the emotional pull everything worked for me. What makes this book stand out is how visual it is. Pollak makes you see the stained glass, the dust of the war years, the tension in every decision. You can tell he loves his subject deeply. It’s not just a history lesson; it’s a reminder that beauty has always been worth saving.” -- Alice Benson
“Pollak writes with both reverence and precision. This isn’t just a historical account it’s a story about hope. The sections describing how the glass was hidden away and later restored gave me chills. You realize that preserving art is an act of defiance, a way to say 'we will not let beauty die.' Anyone who enjoys history that touches the heart will find this unforgettable.” -- William Brown