Christian Labyrinths

In medieval Europe, one of the greatest acts of devotion which a Christian could perform was to go on pilgrimage to Jerusalem. But such a pilgrimage became impossible when the Crusades turned the Middle East into a bloody war zone. So (it is said) a special labyrinth was designed as a substitute for that pilgrimage. If a Christian traveled to a far-off cathedral and walked its labyrinth, that act of devotion was considered equivalent to going to Jerusalem.

The most famous of these Christian labyrinths is found in the French cathedral of Chartres. Inlaid on the cathedral floor in 1201, it eventually fell into disuse once the Crusades were over and labyrinth walking was no longer popular. At one time, rows of chairs were bolted (!) to the precious labyrinth floor but have since been removed, now that labyrinths are popular again. However, as you can see in this photo, moveable chairs are still assembled on the labyrinth when needed.

Despite its Christian origins, the Chartres labyrinth retains many characteristics which are distinctly reminiscent of traditional worship of the Divine Feminine. All Christian labyrinths are devoted to the Virgin Mary, for instance. Because of this, the labyrinth's centre is always represented as a multi-petaled rose, the traditional symbol of Mary.

The Chartres labyrinth's centre recalls the magnificent "rose windows" often found in cathedrals and which are sacred to Mary as well.

Like labyrinths sacred to the Goddess, the Chartres labyrinth is also circular in shape, the symbol of the Divine Feminine. Notice as well that when one rounded turn meets another in the Chartres labyrinth, a special black space is created (there are a total of ten). Christians call this black space a "labrys." But this is in fact a very ancient Minoan term from the island of Crete. It is the name of the Goddess's sacred double-headed axe used in ritual worship. Clearly it forms the basis for the name "labyrinth" as well.

While Christians continue to use the pagan term "labrys," the characterization of the rounded turns as "the breasts of the Goddess" has disappeared. Guess it came a bit too close to acknowledging the true nature of She who is really being honoured by the labyrinth!