It is June 10 in the year 1194. In a few hours, the people of Chartres, France, will wake up to the sound of crackling flames and the smell of thick smoke and black. This is the night when much of Chartres will be razed to the ground, but the devastation will also include the destruction of the church of Notre-Dame de Chartres. Although some parts of the church have survived to the present day, much of the original structure has been worn away or severely damaged (Harriss). In this article I will show the main differences between the Romanesque and Gothic styles respectively and how existing Romanesque churches were converted to the new style. Nearly 400 miles south of Chartres lies the charming city of Toulouse, France. Now home to one of the most famous Romanesque churches, Toulouse was once an important site for pilgrims crossing Europe on their way to Old St. Peter's. During the Middle Ages through the Gothic period, pilgrimage to Rome was not so much about the end result as it was about the journey there. Europe was dotted with dozens of pilgrimage churches, each housing precious relics that had once belonged to Christ, the Blessed Virgin, and saints. The difficult journey made it the best way to atone for your sins, especially if you were determined and visited all the right churches in Europe. Yet the pilgrims were all united as they attended Mass in each church; wherever they were on the continent, the Eucharist was celebrated in Greek, and then in Latin towards the end of the period (Fischer). In the case of Toulouse, it hosted Saint-Sernin. Like most churches on the pilgrims' path, it was massive, capable of holding large numbers of pilgrims. It is q...... middle of paper...... to be praised. It was time for a change, as the French people competed to create the tallest cathedrals, renewing their interest in their faith. And this is one of the reasons why these churches had to be recreated at these intervals. Renewing your faith in God is truly a precious thing. Works Cited Bishop, Philip E. Adventures in the Human Spirit. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education Inc., 2011. Print.Fischer, Julia C. “Chartres Cathedral.” History of art Fischer. Np, nd Web. December 4, 2013.Harrisss, Joseph A. “Monument to the Age of Faith.” American Spectator 41.8 (2008): 68-70. Premier of academic research. EBSCO. Network. December 2, 2013.Macaulay, David. Cathedral: the history of its construction. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1973. Print. "Chartres Cathedral Stained Glass." Chartres Cathedral. Chartrescathedral.net, ndWeb. 08 December. 2013.