Medieval religious art was created primarily to send a message to lay people and for this reason artists and patrons had a precise idea of ​​the audience they were reaching with each piece. Interior art was intended to educate captive audiences who were already in a religious environment; first of all this exposure would only take place during Sunday mass. Outdoor art is able to educate and send a message to anyone who passes by the cathedral and is no longer limited in its display time. Starting in the 11th century, churches began to employ relief carvings on their exteriors, especially around doors and large entrances. These were used to send a message about the important religious ideas and messages associated with that church. After this development took place, the architecture and relief sculpture surrounding these areas became increasingly elaborate to communicate more with a growing number of viewers. Medieval people realized the potential of these gates to reach an audience and send a dramatic message, and by 1130 portal sculpture was a commonly used method of communication for the Churches' primary message. The west portal of Chartres is an example of this development in architectural style as its monumental doors make a very strong statement regarding the values ​​of the Church which were intended to make a strong first impression on the message of the Church. In 1137 the western façade of Chartres was destroyed by what some art historians have indicated as a very convenient fire. This opportunity to rebuild was seized upon by the church and the western end of Chartres was built in the new style in which many other old Romanesque churches had been re-done, St. Dennis being one such example. The western façade was... in the center of the card... above an altar as it was visited by both humans and animals. Mary shares many scenes with Christ but her actions are the subject of the narrative shown. He receives the annunciation in the lower left part of the tympanum, bends down to look at the child he has just given birth, presents him to the temple and is finally enthroned with him as the dominant figure represented. (Fig 1) Although this is the first instance of a female subject depicted in this way on an exterior church sculpture, the scenes themselves are not particularly groundbreaking. The images of the Virgin sitting with the Child and the adoration of the Magi had a long history in line with the oldest depictions of these scenes dating back to early Christianity in Byzantium. In the tympanum of the south door of the west portal these ancient themes are taken up in a more significant way.