Day 10 -- Loire
Valley, France – Wednesday, July 27, 2016 … The terrain changed
today as we headed north from the Loire Valley itself toward Paris. It is much
flatter with large fields of grain.
However, our mission was one stop first …
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| Cathedrale Notre-Dame de Chartes |
Cathedrale Notre-Dame de Chartres … Wow! There’s just so much to tell about this
masterpiece of architecture. This 12th century Cathedral is now a
UNESCO World Heritage Site because it is one of the greatest achievements in
the history of architecture with its ornate Gothic style and its world renowned
original 13th century stained-glass windows. It has also been a pilgrimage destination since
the early Middle Ages, and this year we had the opportunity to go through the
Holy Door as announced by Pope Francis in this Year of Mercy. You can see the two towers high above the city as you approach from the
farm fields … it looks like the towers are coming out of those fields! An interesting fact is that the towers are
two difference sizes and of two different architectural styles. One is a Romanesque pyramid tower dating from
the 12th century; the other is the taller 16th century
Gothic-spire above the older original tower.
And the detailed Gothic designs,
statues and scenes on the outside are so ornate you simply marvel at these
750-year-old carvings! The archways over the main royal door reflect The Christ
of the Book of Revelation with almost 60 carvings embedded in the building. And
that’s just one of the three main entrances!!
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| Holy Door |
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| The North Rose Window |
Once again, the church is designed as a cross with three very
elaborate rose
windows – the West Rose and main entrance reflects the Last
Judgement; the South Rose Window
reflects the Second Coming of the Lord; and the North Rose Window reflects the
Kings of Juda and the Prophets. You are once again struck by the massive
structure of pillars and beams all the way down the center of the church to the
end of the nave. At the end of the nave is a large white statue reflecting Mary’s
Assumption with five elongated stained-glass windows high above it. Very beautiful.  |
| A portion of the screen around the Nave |
It’s difficult to describe the screen around the sides of
the nave. The scenes are facing the
aisles to the various side chapels, are set about 8-10 feet above the floor and
consist of 40 niches containing statues that tell the lives of the Virgin and
Christ. One could spend hours just
contemplating the story. It is elaborate; it is detailed; it is flamboyant; it
is simply amazing. It was also reassuring to see the restoration taking place,
as there was a marked difference between the bright niches and pillars that had
already been restored and those that have not.
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| Blue Virgin Window |
In our first visit we
totally missed the large labyrinth in the center of the nave which is a symbol
of the path leading us from the earth towards God. That’s because there were chairs set up along
both sides of the aisle. After leaving
the church and perusing the gift shops, we found the labyrinth on everything, and
we knew we missed something important. So we went back in, and sure enough …
there it is embedded in the stone floor!
This is a Holy place where I was drawn to be reflective and to be at
peace. I’m humbled to have been
privileged to explore the famous Chartres Cathedral, and my prayer is that a
pilgrimage here by many others will bring them closer to God.
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| The Assumption Statue |
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| South entrance to the Cathedral |
Next stop, our hotel close to the airport in Paris. We have some time to regroup and prepare for
an early departure for home tomorrow.
Once again we have been Blessed with a wonderful adventure, this time
meandering through Normandy, Brittany and the Loire Valley in France!
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