Chartres, France
And it was then that in the depths of sleep / Someone breathed to me: “You alone can do it, / Come immediately.”
—from “The Call” by Jules Supervielle (1884–1960), French poet born in Uruguay, trans. Geoffrey Gardner
When French pilgrims could not travel to Jerusalem during the Middle Ages to do penance or to pray for forgiveness of their sins, they sought closer sanctuary in local places of worship such as Chartres, perhaps the most magnificent of the French Gothic cathedrals. With its flying buttresses, exquisite carvings, the two towers soaring over its pale green roof, and the effulgent light and vertical space in the nave, the church provided a beatific sanctuary for worshippers, especially those who venerated Mother Mary. The cathedral safeguards the Sancta Camisia, or cloak of the Blessed Virgin.
Whether your goal is to pay homage to the Mother of Christ and venerate the relic of the Sancta Camisia, which was given to the cathedral by Charles the Bald, or to spend time in self-introspection and prayer, Chartres Cathedral, about 50 miles from Paris, provides a stunning setting, on a grand scale, and spiritual tools (such as its labyrinth) for you to further those spiritual goals.
Feel the vibe of the sanctuary as you enter the nave and notice light through the beautiful 176 stained glass windows that reflects on everything. Proceed to the 42-foot labyrinth; walk it with your mind and heart united in prayer.
The four-quadrant labyrinth was laid into the floor in the thirteenth century to help the spiritual seeker draw closer to God while following the labyrinth to its center. The walk ends on the rose, a sacred symbol in Judaism, Islam, and Christianity of the human heart unfolding to transcendent Truth that is God. If the goal was penance, medieval pilgrims would move along the labyrinth on their knees.