Le Parvis et la maison de la Cathédrale

"The family Chadorge is back"

With the Square ("Le Parvis"), the family Chadorge is back. An establishment composed of Bed and Breakfast rooms, a fashion bar and astonishing cellars.

Here is a place that should be heard about and that should develop an important word-of-mouth. This place, it is the Square ("Le Parvis"); the establishment that Guillaume Chadorge has just opened down the Chartres Cathedral, supported in this adventure by his parents, Elise and François Chadorge.
The Square ("Le Parvis") symbolises the great comeback of the Chadorge family. For four years, and since they left the Quai fleuri, in Voves, we had lost sight of them. François Chadorge hoped to open a hotel in Sénégal, a country which literally biwitched him, but the project could not see the light. And then, at th beginning of last year, François walking around in Chartres with Guillaume, came accross the old handcraft shop Pénélope, at this moment under sale. "We bought it planning to develop Bed and Breakfast rooms, an offer absent from the Cathedral square until now", explains François Chadorge.
After one year of works, the Square ("Le Parvis") opened its Bed and Breakfast rooms at the upper levels, its lounge bar at the ground floor (where one can have lunch and dinner until midnight) and its three levels of cellars, which would seduce night owls and seekers of friendly meetings. Something close to the Caveau de la Huchette in Paris, in these cellars where jazz meetings could be proposed.

A matter of fidelity

Month after month, the Chadorge family has accomplished a titanic work to transform this house, which has found back its 19th style, in particular on the façade.

Each room was baptised. There is the blue one "Chambre Bleue", the "Louis" (with an allusion to the royal decoration), the "Henri IV" allying traditional woodworks and contemporary design; the "Pénélope" very contemporary; and "Les Anges" under the roof structure. All of them dispose of bathrooms with balneotherapy shower, flat screens with foreign channels and little living-rooms with spectacular views on the Cathedral (120 euros breakfast included). The sensation is impresive in the breakfast room , at the last floor, where a smart skylight spectacularly reveals the southern Cathedral tower.
The Cathedral's proximity has deeply inspired Elise Chadorge who had recourse to the furniture designer Francesco Passaniti. For the cellar, the latter has conceived small tables in oilskined concrete, with optical fibre inside them, thus colorfully reproducing bits of labyrinth.
A ceiling light of Sophie Sutter has in addition inspired lamps that surround Notre Dame Du Pilier. Additional allusion to Chartres, this  stained glass window designed by Hervé Loire which decorates the very design bar.

The Chadorge have opened their new establishment on an October 19th. "It is indeed on an October 19th (1978) that I succeded my dad in the Quai Fleuri. This date was obvious for a shift to Guillaume », reveals François Chadorge registers the familly saga under the fidelity sign."

Source : l'Echo republicain

Marie-Christine BLAIS - article published in "La Presse" on June 25^th 2009, www.cyberpresse.ca 

You are in front of the main portal of the cathedral in Chartres? Fine, then just shift you head to the left towards the few houses on the cathedral side, and you will see the Parvis! Both restaurant, tea room, lounge-bar and bed and breakfast, the Parvis takes up the seven levels of a house which foundations date back to the Middle-Age. 

The former pavements, formerly used as cellars, on three floors, have been transformed and decorated with taste, but respectfully of the old stones. At the ground floor is the restaurant, which serves you until midnight. The other three upper floors are composed of five astonishing rooms, both modern and ancient, with an inspired decoration, equipped with sometimes a little sitting-room or kitchenette, and in any case of a high-quality bathroom! The family Chadorge has launched their business approximately one year ago: Guillaume, the young owner of 29 years old, is helped with passion by his parents, Elise and Francois, who have themselves owned a very well known restaurant in the region for years.   

LOCATION

Even if it is to be repeated, just next to the cathedral of Chartres! From here, you can therefore very easily tour around the whole nice pedestrian district: the city centre is forbidden for cars (there are large parking facilities at the city entrance).

ROOMS

There are five with cute names: the room «Louis» with a vaguely royal style, the «Pénélope» more contemporary, «Les Anges» located under the ceilings, etc. Each of them has a comfortable bed, a flat TV screen, a shower with balneotherapy but also typically French cupboards, period armchairs, elegant brise-bise, etc. And permanently, through the windows, with this unobstructed view guaranteed on the cathedral.

SERVICES

The restaurant is open late at night, for the highest pleasure of tourists. It is also a tea room, if you feel like it, and you can enjoy the use of a computer freely put at the disposition of everyone…You can also have eat on the terrace. Moreover, it is a bar in each of the three floors of pavement (to be imperatively visited). In the last pavement, at the very last floor, jazz groups come to play live during the week-end: do not be afraid, they are not heard from the bedrooms! The breakfast is served quite late, but is good. As far as the atmosphere of the house is concerned, it is friendly, pleasant, relax and contagious.

PRICE

The bedroom with breakfast will cost you 120 euros per night. As long as the establishment is not full, Guillaume will accept reservations, generally until 11.00 pm.

Marie-Christine BLAIS - article published in "La Presse", on June 25^th 2009, www.cyberpresse.ca 

The Square ("Le Parvis"), a new original name right down the Cathedral

Restaurant, tearoom or lounge bar, it all depends on you. But what remains constant is the beauty of the place, which plunges down medieval cellars but at the same time lifts us up to the 19th century at the third floor.

Out of seven floors, it covers the whole history of Chartres: from the Middle Ages at the basement to the 19th century at the third floor. This is the very last brand name opened right down the Cathedral, where was previously settled the handcraft shop Pénélope, the Square ("Le Parvis"). Restaurant, brasserie, tearoom or lounge bar, according to the mood and hour, « it is true that it is hard to put a name on it », smiles François Chadorge, secrete consultant onthis project lead by his son Guillaume. Both of them have on purpose wished to avoid labels, in order to give priority to the follwing idea: « transform this place into a welcoming establishment, at anytime in a particular atmosphere». The building highly contributes to this atmosphere. Right down the Cathedral tower Jehan de Beauce, north portal, its classical façade at the first floor reminds us the architecture of the Beaux Arts museum. The two upper floors, on their side, remind that Chartres was still under construction during the 19th century. The large window panes replace small ones. They enable each occupier of the Bed and Breakfast rooms, completing the bulding, the same and unobstructed view on the Cathedral.

But the most surprising is not visible from outside. One must enter, and most of all go downstairs, for a little excursion in the basement of Chartres, full of surprises. The Square ("Le Parvis") indeed uses its famous Chartres on three levels. A little historical travel, here again, reminding that for long it was built above old houses. The current first level of cellar was the... ground floor during the Middle Ages. « Here, these were the shop doors which gave path on the street Cheval Blanc » explains François Chadorge.
To organise this underground life, the new owners have been liberal with the means deployed - one year - , under the leadership of the French buildings. The « flooring » for instance is in reality a paving doubled with a hiting system, to avoid the typical fresh sensation one can feel in cellars. Extractors have also been installed to avoid humidity.

Confessionnal and flat screen

But the real warmth of the place is also to be found in an accesible menu, exposing some little secrets which attracted the most faithful clients to the Chadorge family when they owned the Quai Fleuri in Voves, like the "pain perdu" with caramelised apples. Teh warmth is also due to the decoration discoveries of Mrs Elise Chadorge, which refused to live in the past and preferred a "glance" at the future while mixing old (including an old confessionnal of the 19th century coming from Gers) to definitely modern materials : optical fibre or plexiglas, flat screens, oilskined concrete, or wrought iron. To create this atmosphere, which suits not only to muffled discussions but also to jazz nights, that Guillaume Chadorge already plans in the third cellar level. When we were telling you this place is more than just a bar or a restaurant..."

Source : La Republique du Centre