The Chartres Pilgrimage, also known as the Le Pèlerinage de Chartres, is a walking pilgrimage organized each year in France in conjunction with the liturgical feast known as the Solemnity of Pentecost.
A History Spanning Centuries
Pilgrims walk together a distance of 90 km in three days from the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris to the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Chartres. The event has been described as one of the most significant “re-discovered” medieval pilgrimage routes on the European mainland.
The pilgrimage route from Paris to Chartres dates from the 9th century, as the first leg of the famed Camino de Santiago (the Way of St. James). Then Chartres became a major pilgrimage destination when it acquired in 876 what is known as the Sancta Camisa, the “veil of Our Lady,” making it forever one of the most important Marian destinations.
This precious relic is said to have been given to the cathedral by Charlemagne, who received it from the Emperor Constantine VI. Others say it was a gift to the cathedral by the Holy Roman Emperor Charles the Bald, grandson of Charlemagne. Chartres Cathedral was later constructed from 1194 to 1252. Today it is revered as a world-famous site, and the “high point of French Gothic art.” For over 800 years, pilgrims have been walking here to pray and be renewed.
A renowned French prelate Cardinal Pie once stated in 1855: "I dare to predict it: Chartres will become, more than ever, the center of devotion to Mary in the West.”
The Sponsoring Organization
The pilgrimage is hosted by Notre-Dame de Chrétienté, a Catholic lay association
based near Paris. Over 1,000 dedicated helpers volunteer, placing themselves under
the care and protection of the patroness of the pilgrimage, Our Lady of Christendom.
This pilgrimage was re-established in 1983 by a handful of traditional-minded French Catholics. The pilgrimage gained attention during the 1990s due to the growing number of participants. Today the event draws over 20,000 walkers from across France and beyond.
Over 1,000 non-French foreign pilgrims participate each year. In fact, many marriages have come from the encounter, drawing even more youth to what has become the largest annual traditional Catholic event.
Walking “Chapters”
Pilgrims do not walk alone. They must register online to walk in “chapters” or small groups under a special title and patronage. Each chapter is led by a volunteer carrying a cross flanked by others holding banners and flags.
The chapters are based upon a language category and are assisted by one or more priests. These chaplains accompany the walkers, helping to lead prayer and song while hearing confessions along the way. Many English-speakers typically walk with the chapter for North Americans known as Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, a unique English-speaking chapter that participates every year: Chartres Pilgrimage – OUR LADY OF THE MOST HOLY ROSARY CHAPTER.
There are a total of about 300 chapters, each with about 50 pilgrims max. Hundreds of colorful banners are carried in procession, all gathered at the end for the final entrance into Chartres Cathedral.
Pilgrimage Logistics
The registered pilgrims receive a wristband and walk the route. They each wear a backpack with the gear and food they need for the day: hat, rain poncho, water bottle, sunglasses, sunscreen, sweater or light jacket, rosary, and food.
The walking pace of the pilgrimage is often maintained at a marching speed. Pilgrims are of all ages. However, most of the participants are young adults or scouts, boys and girls, who sing their hearts out with a mixed repertoire including Marian hymns, soccer chants, and various cheers. The French also sing the rosary in French, a popular Catholic devotion.
The average age is early 20s, drawing young participants from the international scouting movement and various other youth organizations. There is also a separate pilgrimage for “families” that follows an abbreviated route and meets up with the pilgrimage each day at various points and walks the final leg into Chartres.
The transfer of luggage is well-organized, placed in lorry trucks and driven ahead to the campsites and unloaded in designated areas. Each person usually has a suitcase with wheels.
Two nights are spent camping in communal tents that are provided by the organizers. They are set up along the way in the countryside. There is a section of tents designated for non-French foreign participants.
The first night there is a bonfire and torch-lit procession hosted by the scouts who lead skits telling the story of Catholic France, also known as the “Eldest Daughter of the Church.”
Bottled water is provided. Some food is also included, such as a meagre spread of bread and coffee for breakfast, bread and water for lunch, and bread and soup for dinner. Pilgrims supplement these meals with their own food, carried in backpacks.
First-aid stations with ambulances dot the route, maintained by multi-lingual volunteer physicians and trained medical staff provided by the Order of Malta. Pilgrims unable to walk further are met by volunteers who transfer them to the next stop in vans and cars with the intended purpose of coming to the aid of those too tired to continue.
The return to Paris is done by train after the concluding Mass in Chartres cathedral, when the chapel of the veil, located behind the main altar, is opened for pilgrims to enter and reverence the relic, exposed for the pilgrims to venerate up close.
The Route: Paris to Chartres – Terrain & Highlights
Pilgrims arrive on pilgrimage, a metaphor for life, a journey to God. They are serious about cultivating their shared Faith. Most of the walk is on rather flat terrain. There are some light hills along the way. The route slightly changes each year.
The pilgrimage is no easy task. Inclement weather is common, including rain or intense sun. Pilgrims arrive exhausted. The walk and camping constitute a great challenge.
The “way” of the walk expresses the very condition of the Christian life which is to be a long pilgrimage and a long march towards an ultimate goal, the reward of paradise to those who persevere to the end.
Day 1: Getting Through the City
Participants begin their walk on Saturday morning, the Vigil of Whitsunday (Pentecost), a traditional day that is a moveable feast (the date changes every year).
The day customarily begins with morning Mass at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. The first half of the day is spent walking through downtown Paris and its suburbs. Breaks are taken for brief rests in parks, forests and farmers’ fields.
Day 2: Walking in the Peaceful Countryside
The second day is spent walking through the French countryside with afternoon Mass in a farm field, the Solemn Mass of Pentecost. Although its importance is often forgotten, in the Middle-Ages Pentecost was the second greatest feast of the liturgical year, second only to Easter.
Each night in the campsite there is typically an designated tent where people can pray in the moonlit twilight.
Day 3: Arrival in Chartres
The third day is a half day, walking toward the distant cathedral, seen rising above the fields, getting larger and larger as pilgrims arrive in Chartres.
There is a touching moment when the pilgrims catch their first glimpse of Chartres cathedral, seen on the distant horizon. Fittingly, some pilgrims kneel briefly and sing a Marian hymn.
Finally, the pilgrims arrive at their final destination amid the clash and peal of bells and festive music while Pontifical Mass begins with a massive and colorful procession into the cathedral.
At a Glance
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Each night in the campsite there is typically an designated tent where people can pray in the moonlit twilight.
Day 3: Arrival in Chartres
The third day is a half day, walking toward the distant cathedral, seen rising above the fields, getting larger and larger as pilgrims arrive in Chartres.
There is a touching moment when the pilgrims catch their first glimpse of Chartres cathedral, seen on the distant horizon. Fittingly, some pilgrims kneel briefly and sing a Marian hymn.
Finally, the pilgrims arrive at their final destination amid the clash and peal of bells and festive music while Pontifical Mass begins with a massive and colorful procession into the cathedral.
At a Glance
- Distance: 90 km/55 miles
- Duration: 3 days if you join the annual organized walk
- Best time to go: May - June, in conjunction with the annual walk of 20,000 youth (the dates change slightly each year – either the end of May or early June)
- Terrain: Flat to gently hilly, mix of field and forest tracks, some paved roads
- Difficulty: Intense – suitable for walkers who train, some of the terrain is uneven
- Highlights: Country views, farms, forests, horse pastures, wheat fields, the region is known as the “breadbasket” of France.
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