One of the many great things about being in Paris is that there are lots of small towns that are excellent day trips. One of these is Chartres. Chartres is a town about an hour outside of Paris by train. It's a very charming city. Chartres is known for its' Cathedral. The Cathedral has two big things: the only preserved mid-12th century stained glass in France and a relic (the veil of the Virgin Mary). Because of the relic, Chartre
s has always been, and still is, a major pilgrimage site for devout Catholics. Honestly, the stained glass impressed me more. It's not that the veil wasn't interesting, I just personally think that the Catholic Church is full of crap 99.9% of the time. What is interesting about the veil is that it is a very old piece of cloth that has survived so many decades. The Cathedral was beautiful and didn't have that many visitors, but there was a wedding going on, which made the visit more memorable. The city of Chartres was also very pleasant. I went with three friends and we had lunch, enjoyed the Cathedral, and walked around the city before returning to Paris. Although it wasn't a long trip, it wasn't expensive and it was well worth my time.
s has always been, and still is, a major pilgrimage site for devout Catholics. Honestly, the stained glass impressed me more. It's not that the veil wasn't interesting, I just personally think that the Catholic Church is full of crap 99.9% of the time. What is interesting about the veil is that it is a very old piece of cloth that has survived so many decades. The Cathedral was beautiful and didn't have that many visitors, but there was a wedding going on, which made the visit more memorable. The city of Chartres was also very pleasant. I went with three friends and we had lunch, enjoyed the Cathedral, and walked around the city before returning to Paris. Although it wasn't a long trip, it wasn't expensive and it was well worth my time.