Chartes & Orleanes

We've seen a lot of churches and Chartres Cathedral is by far my favorite architecturally. It has beautiful portals, and the stained glass windows are extraordinary (most dating back to the mid-12th century!) Because ordinary people didn't read in medieval times art was used to tell biblical stories. In Florence their were beautiful paintings and murals but Chartres has gorgeous engravings along the interior wall telling the long tale from Adam and Eve until the crucifixion of Christ. They have a special little area where they display a simple, aged veil that is said to have been worn by Mary when she gave birth to Jesus. It stated its history as having been passed down to the cardinal of Chartres from Constantinople who had received it as a gift from someone who had kept it over time since the Romans had occupied Israel. My details may be a little inaccurate but that is the general idea.

In the cathedral is a labyrinth that is round and large in the center of the main floor. Apparently it represents the journey through life and it is still believed at this and other such labyrinths that as one goes through the maze slowly and thoughtfully they can receive spiritual insight, guidance and strength. A few women were slowly making their way through the labyrinth, one was taking notes in a little book as she went. We decided to walk through it with the girls. We explained its purpose and they sensed that it was a reverent experience. We made our way slowly and respectfully. Half way through our "journey" a group stood up after their guide was done talking and walked right through the labyrinth causing us to have to stop our experience and wait for them all to walk by. We marvelled at not only their total obliviousness to the large maze and its meaning, but also to those who were in it having a unique and spiritual experience.

Ceci was the first to make it to the center. When she arrived she folded her arms, bowed her head and quietly stood as she said a silent prayer. It was so heartwarming. The other women who were doing the labyrinth, or sitting nearby after having finished, watched and smiled at her innocence and devotion. When we made it to the center we did "Davises Forever". It was cool.

The cathedral is famous for its beauty and we fully appreciated it, but that isn't why we made the trip to see it. 39ish years ago Geoff's mom and dad were on a study abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark. They both signed up for a tour of European cathedrals. At Chartres they met, spent the afternoon on the tower having a picnic and talking, and the rest is part of our family history!

We had baguettes, brie, salami and Perrier just like Keenan and Mesha 39 years ago.

We walked through the little old town which has a lot of medieval charm. We met these students from the US who were studying architecture.

There were some adorable little houses along the river running through town. Notice the little boat garage below. Nice life!

After Chartres we stopped through the less than quaint town of Orleanes to see the place where Joan of Arc lived while defending the town from England.