Make the most of your time, wherever you can find it!

We had to travel a little out of town in order to get our Covid-19 shots, so we decided to take advantage of our time heading in the southern direction towards Chartres, which is located about 90 km (56 mi) southwest of Paris. Chartres is another small gem of a commune at 16.85 sq km (6.51 sq mi) and is the capital of the Eure-et-Loir department.

Chartres is most well known for its Gothic style cathedral Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres, a UNESCO World Heritage Site built between 1193 and 1250. It is considered one of the most well preserved cathedrals in all of France and even Europe. It still includes its original stained glass windows.

While most of the city of Chartres suffered severe damage as the result of bombings that occurred during World War II, Chartres was saved by American Army officer Colonel Welborn Barton Griffith, Jr. The cathedral was slated to be destroyed as American Army leaders thought it was a German observation post. However, Colonel Griffith, Jr. volunteered to go behind lines to investigate those claims. He searched the entire cathedral, including the bell tower, and confined that there were no Germans present and challenged the order that the cathedral be destroyed. The order was withdrawn due to his bravery and the cathedral remained intact.

Today, the cathedral not only houses the largest collection of stained glass windows (176) from the 12th and 13th  centuries, but it also houses the largest collection of sculptures from those centuries as well. One if the cathedral’s greatest treasures is the 6m-long veil worn by the Blessed Virgin Mary. This veil serves as a guiding light the brings more than 180,000 followers of the Christian faith to the cathedral on a yearly pilgrimage. 

In the center of the cathedral resides a great labyrinth that symbolizes the path of life. People have made the pilgrimage to Chartres since the Middle Ages in hopes of walking the labyrinth “which connects our difficulties, twists and turns, hesitations and suffering, but also our hope for a resurrection (at the end of our path), our joys of being able to transform our Earthly pilgrimage into an Eternal journey” (https://www.cathedrale-chartres.org/en/cathedrale/). 

When entering the cathedral be careful while stepping across the floor. There are people who volunteer their time to ensure that the path is walked accordingly. You can either walk around the outside of the labyrinth, or you can walk lines within the labyrinth. It is to ensure that the respect if given to those who pay homage to the Blessed Virgin. As with many of the sites we have visited in France, the Chartres Cathedral was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979.

The cathedral sits on a hill above the rest of the town of Chartres. The massive structure can be seen from great distances while driving on the autoroute through the area. The majority of the land around Chartres is wheat fields so it is easy to spot the cathedral far away! We did not get a chance to visit other parts of the town. The town around the cathedral is absolutely stunning with old cobblestone roads, old architecture, and waterways surrounding the down town area. I would like to revisit Chartres to have the opportunity to walk around the town to enjoy the beauty this town has to offer!