Chartres, France

At 6 a.m. I got up before my alarm and finished packing the bare necessities for our overnight trip to Chartres. Rose, my friend, travel companion, and fellow pilgrim was in the shower. We were ready when the 14-euro breakfast buffet opened at 7:30 a.m. We deposited our suitcases at the front desk, hurriedly ate, and rushed out to wait for our train leaving at 9:06 a.m.

Montparnasse train station was a 3-minute walk from the Waldorf Hotel where we stayed the night before. Soon the familiar purple and red SNCF sign came into view. SNCF or Societe Nationale des Chemin de Fer is the French national railway. We found the wide steps going up to the main floor. Hall 1 was up the escalator. The scene was massive, busy but orderly.

Chartres was a quick one-hour train ride from Paris. Since check-in at Hotel Campanile wasn’t until 3 p.m. we dropped our bags at the front desk and headed to the Chartres Cathedral. It was cold and windy but the walk invigorated us.

Built in the 13th century, the Chartres Cathedral is an important pilgrimage destination, a UNESCO heritage site, famous for its flying buttresses and Gothic architecture. The cathedral contains the “world’s largest surviving collection of medieval stained glass, with more than 150 13th century windows.” The light coming through the intricate stained-glass windows illuminated the interior.

Rose and I went our own way inside the Cathedral, admiring the stained-glass windows throughout, marveling at the intricate sculptures that tell the Christian story. I captured a photo of a sacred relic, the tunic that the Virgin Mother wore during the nativity of Christ. I gazed at the renowned stained-glass window with “The Blue Virgin” depicting Mary’s robe in Chartres blue. I felt a sense of peace.

The next day, a Sunday was a holy day of obligation for Catholics. For Rose and me, going to church is not an obligation at all. Instead, we looked forward to attending mass at the Chartres Cathedral. But Rose decided, “The cathedral is freezing.” She was fighting a cold and the cold was winning. I didn’t want her to get pneumonia.

Online, I found a 10:30 a.m. mass at Saint Pierre. Finding the church was another matter. Siri and Google provided confusing directions. A French man saved the day. He went out of his way (literally and figuratively) to show us the sloped alley leading to the church which was tucked away past trendy boutiques and behind stone houses.

From the outside, the church looked abandoned. But the inside was bright and airy. At the entrance, a boy, maybe seven years old, opened the red door.  

“What a warm welcome,” Rose said.

We settled on the empty seats behind families with their kids. It appeared the mass started earlier than was stated on the website. I couldn’t help but notice the man on the other side, to my left, with his impassioned singing. The man sported a red scarf and a pair of colorful printed blue socks. During the part of the mass when people say “Peace be with you,” he walked over to offer this blessing in French. “La paix du Christ,” he said.

After mass, the congregation mingled inside while sharing coffee and pastries. Rose and I lingered to take pictures of the religious statues and stained glass throughout. A familiar one was Our Lady of Perpetual Help. I pray to her every day through the rosary. Outside, families socialized under the trees, blue sky and bright sun.

Chartres was a great day trip from Paris. Visiting Chartres Cathedral was special. Staying overnight gave us a chance to attend mass, take holy communion and experience the warmth and goodwill of the people who call Chartres home.

~ Nida Spalding