i went to chartres this past pentecost with 20000 other catholics on pilgrimage.(HIGHLY RECOMMEND !!!)
i wept when i saw it. it also reminded me of when i first saw the cathedral by chance while viewing kenneth clarkes civilization doku as a young man ehile dogsitting in memphis TN. this series made me want to be catholic and be apart of the civilization depicted therein. this framing and memory made it all the more surreal to be there, to be catholic, and to be 20000 strong. another midwesterner convert/european immigrant i met walking with the austrians the day before found me amongst the masses standing in front of the cathedral and i said to him, its wild to get to see this as an american, thinking of my great grandparents who rarely if ever left their farms. he looked at the facade for a moment and then looked back at me with the same teary eyes i was wielding. theres nothing like europe!
Wow! That sounds amazing! I hope pilgrimages like that continue to grow…There is something so powerful about experiencing overwhelming beauty like that with a group of believers after a long journey. My sister went on the Walsingham pilgrimage in England and then the three hearts one in Oklahoma and hearing about them from her really makes me want to do something like it some day. Though I haven't been on a big pilgrimage like that, I do remember being at the Vatican and thinking how amazing it was that so many people, even secular people, still travel to visit the beautiful churches of Christendom.
I also love that Kenneth Clark series. My husband and I have actually been rewatching recently. Funny that you mention Memphis. That is where I grew up, and my parents still live there.
if you can ever do the pentecost pilgrimage from paris to chartres (3 days), do it!! there are US groups that come, its also easy to slide in with european chapters if need be.
ill never forget the horror i felt seeing the montage of defaced statues of saints at the beginning of the reformation episode. it really took the clarke doku, a secular film, to point out, what the few catholic friends i had wouldnt dare to tell me: I was apart of a barbaric, destructive development within european civilization.
wow. im a yankee but i love memphis!! ended up broke and jobless in chicago years ago and drove to memphis to crash at a friends house as a last resort. i ended up staying a year. bartended at paulettes on mud island. i cant imagine a place coming to feel like a second home so quickly. everyone was so friendly and hospitable! memphis all day over nashville!
I'm fortunate enough to have been to Chartres twice, visits more than 20 years apart, and both times Malcolm Miller was there! I haven't been since the recent renovations, so I hope to be able to return.
You mention this was once a day of feasting. I believe it also marks the start of a traditional fast until Christmas.
Wonderful post and so thorough. I've never been to Chartres but have heard others extol its beauties. I think the light that shines through the stained glass must have been a taste of Paradise.to the medieval person. And the modern one too!
That's a good question…the thickness is part of what makes the colors so vibrant. It gives them that jewel like quality. Chartres windows were about 1inches thick where modern windows are about 1/8 of that so the are much more translucent and actually let in more light.
Peoole don't make them that thick anymore because they have the technology to make thinner glass and the thicker glass is also wag more expensive.
Thank you Shannon! The Chartres windows are incredibly thick and there probably will be none made like them again. They are such a wonder and still a taste of paradise today!
i went to chartres this past pentecost with 20000 other catholics on pilgrimage.(HIGHLY RECOMMEND !!!)
i wept when i saw it. it also reminded me of when i first saw the cathedral by chance while viewing kenneth clarkes civilization doku as a young man ehile dogsitting in memphis TN. this series made me want to be catholic and be apart of the civilization depicted therein. this framing and memory made it all the more surreal to be there, to be catholic, and to be 20000 strong. another midwesterner convert/european immigrant i met walking with the austrians the day before found me amongst the masses standing in front of the cathedral and i said to him, its wild to get to see this as an american, thinking of my great grandparents who rarely if ever left their farms. he looked at the facade for a moment and then looked back at me with the same teary eyes i was wielding. theres nothing like europe!
Wow! That sounds amazing! I hope pilgrimages like that continue to grow…There is something so powerful about experiencing overwhelming beauty like that with a group of believers after a long journey. My sister went on the Walsingham pilgrimage in England and then the three hearts one in Oklahoma and hearing about them from her really makes me want to do something like it some day. Though I haven't been on a big pilgrimage like that, I do remember being at the Vatican and thinking how amazing it was that so many people, even secular people, still travel to visit the beautiful churches of Christendom.
I also love that Kenneth Clark series. My husband and I have actually been rewatching recently. Funny that you mention Memphis. That is where I grew up, and my parents still live there.
if you can ever do the pentecost pilgrimage from paris to chartres (3 days), do it!! there are US groups that come, its also easy to slide in with european chapters if need be.
ill never forget the horror i felt seeing the montage of defaced statues of saints at the beginning of the reformation episode. it really took the clarke doku, a secular film, to point out, what the few catholic friends i had wouldnt dare to tell me: I was apart of a barbaric, destructive development within european civilization.
wow. im a yankee but i love memphis!! ended up broke and jobless in chicago years ago and drove to memphis to crash at a friends house as a last resort. i ended up staying a year. bartended at paulettes on mud island. i cant imagine a place coming to feel like a second home so quickly. everyone was so friendly and hospitable! memphis all day over nashville!
Lord willing!! That sounds incredible!
Yeah, the iconoclasm really was quite horrific and shocking..
I love hearing that! Memphis definitely has a special place in my heart and I hope to move back some day.
I'm fortunate enough to have been to Chartres twice, visits more than 20 years apart, and both times Malcolm Miller was there! I haven't been since the recent renovations, so I hope to be able to return.
You mention this was once a day of feasting. I believe it also marks the start of a traditional fast until Christmas.
Lovely post. Thank you.
Thank you Kate! I actually have a little guidebook he wrote. I hope to go back and see them eventually too.
That’s exactly right! Martinmass was kind of the last hurrah before the fast.
🛡️⚔️🐎 Cut the Cloak 😌🌍🕊️
Jesus as a poor begger, eyes to see, ears to hear....
Blessed Armistice Day, REMEMBER 🕯️📿 📖 ❤️ ✝️
Saint Martin the Merciful, help us to perceive and apprehend the reality in the Icon and image. 🔥
Grace and peace to you.
Beautiful prayer. Peace to you Robert. Thank you!
Beautiful Cathedral 🌹⛪⛲ ☦️ 🇨🇵 ⚜️
Saint Martin, pray for us,
MOST HOLY THEOTOKOS SAVE US!
Wonderful post and so thorough. I've never been to Chartres but have heard others extol its beauties. I think the light that shines through the stained glass must have been a taste of Paradise.to the medieval person. And the modern one too!
That's a good question…the thickness is part of what makes the colors so vibrant. It gives them that jewel like quality. Chartres windows were about 1inches thick where modern windows are about 1/8 of that so the are much more translucent and actually let in more light.
Peoole don't make them that thick anymore because they have the technology to make thinner glass and the thicker glass is also wag more expensive.
The thickness also has to do with the potassium rich particles from the tree ash they used to make the glass. I found this article about the science of glass very interesting. https://churchlifejournal.nd.edu/articles/the-science-of-medieval-glass-and-the-play-of-light-in-dante/#_ftnref16
Thank you so much. I wondered about that. Now it's even more special in my mind's eye.
Thank you Shannon! The Chartres windows are incredibly thick and there probably will be none made like them again. They are such a wonder and still a taste of paradise today!
Why do you suppose the6 were made thicker than usual? And is that why the light streaming through is especially beautiful?
I loved the way you described ways that the stained glass of churches enriched the spiritual lives of medieval Catholics—and today
Yes, it is amazing how beautiful sacred art can be so alive even after one thousand years.
I am grateful for this. During my brief visit to Chartres I didn't get much information on the gorgeous windows. I'm soaking this up.
Thank you, Rosanne. They are such a wonder!