Still on the Celtic Trail

This is at Chartres – a marker for the pilgrim’s trail. This one is heading south to Spain, but I am not distracted. I am still moving north to Scotland tomorrow. But there is an important link here in Chartres.

Prior to the 4th century Chartres was an important Celtic gathering place. And in the above photo I am standing at the Strong” well now carefully guarded in a crypt under the labyrinth of Chartres Cathedral.  This well in what was then a forest grove had great ceremonial purposes and a mother and child were carved into one of the trees. When the Christians came they were as you might imagine pleasantly surprised and named her the dark madonna.  Of course there are mysteries and imaginative speculation surrounding all of this. But Chartres Cathedral is an architectural wonder well worth visiting. Each part of the design has proportion, detail, aesthetic and placement beyond comprehension.

I heard somewhere that in Europe you move through time and in North America you move through space. The layering of history in Chartres is mind boggling. And the structure has carvings and symbols that bring it all together – green man, angels, apostles, animals. Curiously, in this cathedral there are no statues of crucifixes and no bodies buried within the building. The labyrinth is complex and beautifully crafted and sits under one of the famous rose stained glass windows. So there is a Celtic connection that I look forward to filling out more in Scotland.