In this book « The Power of Myth » J.Campbell talked about the Cathedral of Chartres (France). I'm a French guy and, when I read this part of the book, I understand that this Cathedral have a great importance for J.Campbell. It grows up my curiosity and I would like to know why this Cathedral have this effect on this specialist of the Myths.
To beginning, this is important to know that this Cathedral is the only one not built Easting but North-Easting. In fact we can read that all the Cathedral in a world has directed Eastward to be front of the Palestine, the origin of this faith. So why this Cathedral have directed like that ?
Some research proves that the Cathedral was built on an ancient place of cult for the Druid people and more widely the Gaul. Some theories says that this kind of built was effected to respect the ancient foundation of the precedent Gaul cults. The most interesting in that fact is that some thousand years before the Christ, the Gaul celebrated the cult of « Virgini Pariturae » : « The Virgin shall bring forth » !!! This black virgin symbolizes the former marital worship of The Mother Goddess. And the Christian respected and have probably maintained this cult to introduce more easily the Christian faith. But like says J.Campbell it is mostly because this cult was universal in the faith human process.
A lot of representation in this Cathedral is not classic for the Christian faith, but it is still some mystery for a lot of specialist. One of them is the Labyrinth in the center of the nave. It is really interesting to read the explication of this Labyrinth on the web site of The Cathedral of Chartres :
"The Chartres Labyrinth reminiscent of Greek mythology. The architect Daedalus built to enclose a monster - the Minotaur - that can feed the children of Athens. Theseus, winner of the monster manages to extract through the Arian's thread. [...] The key is to meditate with him the passage from death to life - eternal." http://www.cathedrale-chartres.org
It is some much interesting to read on a Christian web site a reference to meditation more than prayer than as part of an ancient Greek cult. It shows the difference between the meditation and the human capacity to attain enlightenment, and the prayer, the capacity of the Christian church to control the faith of the believers.
Keep your own research and share. MTFBWYAll. Peace.
