The second volume of the major Chartres monograph examines the image world of the high?Gothic sculpture at the two vast portal systems of the north and south transepts of the cathedral. A remarkably completely preserved image world of works of the highest artistic quality, which spans the entire Christian cosmos of the Middle Ages: from the famous Creation cycle of the north vestibule via the sublime figures and events of the Old and New Testaments to the redeeming reception of humankind in the choir of the nine angelic hierarchies at the end of the earthly cycle. Many hitherto undeciphered puzzles of the portal?sculpture are thereby opened up only through a view of the intellectual life in and around Chartres, which ranged from the then significant philosophical and theological works via the far?reaching ideas of the Chartres school philosophers to the mythical images of the Grail?romances, as an expression of the spiritual background of the Chartres art. Dr?Phil. Roland Halfen (born 2 July 1958, Dortmund) is a German philosopher and art historian. He studied art history, philosophy and archaeology in Freiburg and Munich, and completed his doctorate (art history and philosophy) at the University of Witten?Herdecke. For several years he worked as assistant to Prof.?Franco Volpi at the Chair of Philosophy in Padua. He has been author and editorial contributor to the Großes Werklexikon der Philosophie. In his long?term project he compiled the four?volume monograph Chartres. Schöpfungsbau und Ideenwelt im Herzen Europas. In later years he served as editor at the Rudolf?Steiner?Archiv and engaged in editions of works by Rudolf Steiner. He passed away on 23 September 2023.