The Chartres Cathedral Labyrinth

Chartres' labyrinth is the most famous of the medieval pavement labyrinths, walked in place across the cathedral's stone floor by pilgrims for eight centuries, and its modern fame comes from the decades-long movement that learned to walk it: Grace Cathedral's replica, the Veriditas network, and the walking-practice revival that uses this pattern worldwide. The original is a single winding path, no branches, no choices, one way in and the same way out, eleven circuits turning around the center's six-petal rosette.

For most of the year the labyrinth sits under the cathedral's stacked chairs and visitors see only its circle in the floor; on the announced days, Friday evenings during parts of the year among them, the chairs are cleared and the walk happens by candlelight.

Visiting

The Cathedral of Chartres lists its hours and the labyrinth's walking days on its own site; walking days are announced, not daily.

Photo: [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Chartres_Cathedral_labyrinth), CC BY-SA 2.0.