Tag Archives: Cathedral

Notre Dame de Chartres

06 Wednesday Nov 2013

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5 November, 2013

This is going to be a tough one to sum up in words again. Chartres is a magical place for me that has been a part of this journey since I first started planning. I just left this morning, and already I am thinking about when can I return. My first visit was in 1998 to see the Cathedral. It is one of the best examples of the Gothic style in France, largely due to the speed of its construction – only 66 years. I’m not going to get into a history lesson or artistic analysis. Go read the Wiki article if you want to learn more. It’s well written and very informative. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chartres_Cathedral

It was the Gothic architecture and medieval windows that brought me to Chartres fifteen years ago. I was very impressed, but it was my experience at the end of that day that brought me back. The ground the Cathedral lies on has been sacred since before the Romans came to Gaul. There is a labyrinth in the nave of the church that could be walked at the end of the day (now one must wait until Friday – I might go back, not sure yet). I thought at the time, “Sure why not?” The path is something like 243 meters long, and takes a while to follow. I was totally unprepared for the experience. When I reached the middle, I waited for it to be my turn to stand in the center of the circle. When I got there I was completely overwhelmed with emotion to the point of tears. It was a very powerful experience. At the time I was not living in pursuit of a spiritual life. Today I count that as one of my first experiences with the power of the numinous. This time, there was no such experience, but I believe that is due to having conscious contact on a daily basis with the divine in my life.

With that, I want to get out of this hotel room. The sun is shining now and again here in Paris, and there is much to do, starting with some coffee and lunch. So, here’s the pictures from the Cathedral in Chartres.

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In Old Bayeux

31 Thursday Oct 2013

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30 October, 2013

I spent the day today in seeing some of the town of Bayeux. I learned at the Battle of Normandy Museum that this was the first town liberated in France, and survived the invasion largely undamaged, while many of the nearby towns were more or less completely demolished.

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Tagging, early 18th century style

Tagging, early 18th century style

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Model showing 10th -12 th century construction of a cathedral

Model showing 10th -12 th century construction of a cathedral

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I started at the Cathedral. This is a fantastic example of the early Gothic style. It was started in the 12th century, but the majority of the work was in the 13th century. The large majority of the glass and the domed crossing tower stem from a major renovation in the 19th century.

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From the Cathedral I walked to the Battle of Normandy Museum on the edge of town. This is a comprehensive presentation that covers not just the landing, but the events of the summer of 1944. Displays contain uniforms and equipment from all forces involved in the fighting. I found it interesting to see these things first hand. It gives me some kind of reference for my tour tomorrow of the different sites of the invasion.

Leaving the Museum, I crossed the road to the Bayeux War Cemetery. Here 4,648 soldiers and sailors are buried – 3.935 British, and 466 Germans. I have been to military cemeteries in the US, and this one was similar. Rows of simple headstones with rounded tops in neat rows on immaculately kept grounds. There’s one major difference. The men lying here were all young – mostly early 20’s – and all died in the short period of the summer of 1944. Stone after stone in the sections I walked through all shared the same date – 6 June, 1944. The American Cemetery at Omaha Beach has twice the number, and I am assuming that I will be much more impacted by the experience tomorrow.

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Back to the centre ville, and I went to see the Bayeux Tapestry. A monumental piece of Norman history, this cloth is 70 meters long, and depicts the victory of William the Conqueror over the usurper to the English Crown, Harold, at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The embroidery is nearly 1000 years old, and is remarkable not just in its storytelling, but in its physical condition. There is a very comprehensive museum built around it that details the fabrication of the Tapestry, as well as some of the armament and construction techniques of the 11th century.

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Time to load some pics and get set for the day.