Chartres Cathedral

Another destination for pilgrims, Chartres Cathedral is built on a holy place from long ago, and the original building was Gallo-Roman.

Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres

In the crypt there are remains of a 4th century floor. There is a well that has been a centre for Goddess worship throughout the centuries, despite efforts of the Christian church to dissuade people. Once the well was filled in, but it was rebuilt a few hundred years ago.

The well in the crypt at Chartres Cathedral

Above the well, in the main cathedral, there is a Chapel for Notre Dame of the Pillar. This is a beautiful small chapel, with a few rows of pews, and a place to kneel before the statue of the Virgin and Child. While I was there a pregnant woman came to pray for an easy birth, and another slim young woman came several times, kneeling to pray.

Our Lady of the Pillar, Chartres

I lit a candle and sat for a while, feeling the energy running through me. It is strong, and felt like a regular fine vibration, penetrating the soles of my feet so that my whole body vibrated in time with it. When I went down to the well I found it is indeed the source of this fine current, deep and strong. My husband said it hurt his legs! Chartres Cathedral is built on a ‘hot spot’ a place where powerful magnetic currents surface, and ley lines connect. This is like a chakra in the human body, an area of energy distribution through the Earth. At Chartres the energy is feminine, rising, a natural place to honour the creativity of the earth, and the shape of the building itself is like a womb and a birth canal.

Black Madonna of Chartres

It is worth noting that the Madonna and Child statue is dark, another of the mysterious Black Madonnas that the church is anxious to ignore. I have read quite a bit about them, and my best guess is that they hark back to ancient worship of the Earth Mother or Goddess, more recently through the cult of Isis,  and subsequently Mary Mother of Jesus.

The great cathedral of Chartres is being cleaned and restored. The apse is now glowing with white stone and brilliantly coloured windows. The colours reflect from the white walls, bringing light and colour into the space. How glorious it will be when all the walls have been cleaned.

Walls and windows in a restored section

The storytelling windows of Chartres are legendary, but I was looking for the women in the windows … and found the Mother and Child in the centre of one rose window.

Mother and Child in centre place

There She is, surrounded by doves and angels. Of course there were many more images, but now I want to show you the centre of the famous labyrinth. Sadly I was not able to go when the chairs were removed, so I did not get to walk it this time.

Centre of the Labyrinth

On the pillars marking the centre of the labyrinth there are Knights Templar crosses, adding to the mystery of this church. We had a wonderful day there, and I made a beautiful essence collecting the energy over the well. In a few days I return to Australia, to winter, and I will have lots of time to reflect on my travels and integrate all the wonderful experiences. Until then, au revoir!