Wednesday, June 26, 2024

Chartres Cathedral Seen in the Best Light!.....~ A Book Review

While travelling I love to learn all about what I have seen and what really impressed me!  To that end, I found out that there was a  difference between a Maze and a Labyrinth.  It was something that I had never thought of before.  That is until I saw the Labyrinth in the Chartres Cathedral in France. Google defines a maze as " a network of paths and hedges designed as a puzzle. The goal is to find your way out or to a central "prize".

So the difference for all of those like me who have never ever thought about it is, a Maze is a place where tall walls of greenery send you down a path with many different directions in which you can go.  They are made so that  you can get lost in them and take a lot of time to find your way out.  In North America Mazes are a fun aspect to the Halloween holidays.  Corn mazes spring up in the country side just waiting for people to try and find their way out!  It's a lot of fun for people of all ages.

A Labyrinth on the other hand, is also a path that twists and turns but has no sides to make you feel isolated and you can easily see where you should go next.  A labyrinth in the 1200's was a geometric pattern on the floor that was used mainly for meditation.   The idea is to walk the path slowly, meditating on whatever is pressing on your mind, walking the path until you reach the center. At that point you just may have found the solution to whatever it was that was on your mind.  

Today,  Mazes and Labyrinths mean pretty much the same thing.  
https://amzn.to/4ew6SzA





This past spring My other half and I made a trip to Portugal, Spain and France.  We are particularly interested in old churches, the art, architecture, artistry and history of the churches.  

Chartres Cathedral was amazing but when you are on a tour, your time in that place is limited.  So what do you do?  You take lots of pictures, hoping to capture the beauty, the space, the art and statues, stained glass windows, doors and floors and so much more.  

After you come home you realize that your pictures just don't do justice to the beauty that filled you with awe!  So you go looking for something that will help you to remember the beauty.

https://amzn.to/4ew6SzA


The Hubby found a most beautiful book with pictures that really do make you re-live the time you were there.  When you consider that this church was built in 1260, it certainly has aged well and the history within it's walls is truly amazing.  

I love books that will tell me all about how it was built, Who commissioned it and how long it took to complete and all the history that happened since the time it was built.  
https://amzn.to/4ew6SzA



This book is the finishing touch to a trip that had us both spellbound and wondering how on earth the workers could build something so beautiful, mathematically precise and long lasting without all the tools that modern day builders have today.  It truly is mind boggling.



https://amzn.to/4ew6SzA
When you travel and enjoy the sights, sometime a great book is the best gift you give yourself to remember the beauty that you had a chance to see up close and personal. Usually the pictures in these books are also clearer.  The day you visit might be rainy or windy making your pictures less than perfect.  With a well done book, everything that is pictured was taken at the right time and conditions.    Now you can revisit whenever you want and share the beauty with your friends too.  Chartres Cathedral is a place that you should put on your bucket list.  We continue to enjoy it even after the suitcases are put away.

The pictures shown in this review are taken from the book which we continue to enjoy.




Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”


5 comments:

  1. What a beautiful cathedral and the fact that this medieval church has lasted so many centuries is remarkable. So nice you found a book that depicts not only the church's beauty, but also has the history of the cathedral.
    BTW, I found your description of a labyrinth in the 1200's as a geometric pattern on the floor that was used mainly for meditation absolutely fascinating. I did not know that.

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  2. We have been blessed to see several beautiful cathedrals in Europe, but sadly the Chartres Cathedral is not one of them. Like you, I found bringing home a book of photos allows me to see the details I missed. I realized while reading your article, that I tend to look up when I am in a cathedral. I don't recall ever seeing a labyrinth but now I suspect they were there and I simply didn't, or couldn't, see the floor. Most often, there are a lot of other people visiting too. The labyrinth shown above is so large, I couldn't help but wonder how anyone would be able to walk it unless they were alone, but I love the idea of being able to have a single focus in prayer.

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  3. The distinction between mazes and labyrinths was fascinating, especially the fact that labyrinths were used for meditative contemplation. Like you and your husband, my husband and i also have purchased books to help us remember the beautiful details of places we have visited during our travels abroad. They make wonderful keepsakes!

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  4. This review is so very interesting to me. I love your part about the differences between mazes and labyrinths. The cathedral sounds awesome. thanks for sharing your experience.

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  5. What a fantastic trip. The photos are gorgeous. Like the others, I had no idea what the difference was between a maze and a labrynth - used for meditation, interesting - I need one in my house now :)

    ReplyDelete

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