Chartres Cathedral riddles

Notre Dame de Paris, is perfectly known to all thanks to a novel of the same name of Victor Hugo. But history of other Notre Dame located in the ancient city of Chartres that in 90 kilometers to the southwest from the capital of France is not less surprising and mysterious … In Blessed Virgin’s glory … History of Chartres goes back to the middle of the I millennium. Legends of construction in this city of the first Catholic church are closely connected with emergence of the well-known Christian relic – the Cover of the Mother of God. Tradition claims, exactly Virgin Mary at the time of Christ’s birth was dressed in this modest attire. The city cathedral was put on the place of an ancient sanctuary of druids. The stone construction looked as the big box covered with a flat plate. Today such constructions are called dolmens. According to ancient Celtic beliefs, everyone entering in a sanctuary got under influence of natural powers of Earth and found new life. The stone well and burial ground which was also nearby entered a cult complex. Was considered that from this place sacred energy proceeds. In Chartres the school where Gallic and British priests-druids trained adherents beginners in magic art was open. Perhaps, being naslyshanny about unusual properties of this place, Catholics, since 350, built the temples here. However all constructions were steadily destroyed by the fires. At last, the cathedral in Blessed Virgin’s glory, or the Divine Lady, – Notre Dame was constructed here. The king Charles the Bald reigning at that time presented to the temple as a donation already mentioned precious relic – the Protection of the Holy Virgin. The first miracle happened in 911 when Chartres was besieged by Normans. The bishop Zhantelm, hoping for Virgin Mary’s protection, hung out the Cover on a city wall. It as the chronicle testifies, immediately put to flight enemies. In 1194 Chartres Cathedral was, as well as several his predecessors, is destroyed by fire. However the miracle happened again: the chest in which the Cover of the Mother of God was stored remained safe and sound! It was managed to be hidden in an underground chapel. By 1220 the cathedral from which there was only the western facade was built up anew. He received the new name – Notre Dame de Chartr. In 1260 the temple was consecrated in the presence of the king Louis IX. Today Chartres Cathedral represents a majestic construction in Gothic style. It is difficult from granite sandstone, stone blocks reach 2-3 meters in length and 1 meter in height. In and outside of the building there are in total about 10 000 sculptural images from a stone and flew down generally on Christian subject. Practically all stained-glass windows of medieval European temples are imitations the well-known stained-glass windows of Chartres Cathedral. Their total area makes 2000 square meters. The most known stained-glass window carries the name Notre Dame de la Belle Verre – the Virgin from beautiful glass. Here what wrote about these works the famous art critic Jean Villet: “When the sun is hot, plates of a floor and a surface of columns become covered fiery, ultramarine and colors of pomegranate by the spots shaded on a granular surface of a stone as from a pastel touch. In gray weather all church is filled with the bluish blinkings giving a deep water to prospect, the arches – it is more than mystery”. The victims of a cathedral the detective story is connected With Chartres Cathedral. Business happened already today. Began to find human corpses in one of extensions of the temple. Investigation did not lead every time to anything. It was originally supposed that it is the victims of the crimes committed by robbers. However in an extension it was never stored any values which could interest dishonest people. Then there was other version: can be, thieves use an extension as a hiding place for stolen. But also this hypothesis did not find confirmation: to hide here something it was represented very problematic – an extension as a double-exit courtyard, in it it is eternally full of people, doors always wide open, there is neither attic, nor the cellar … Besides in one case of a cause of death did not look obviously violent. The body of the young monk was once again found. It lay on an extension floor among splinters of a stone statue. On a face of the young man the horror stiffened. And again – any traces of blood or violence. One of Saint brothers explained polices that to Bernard – so called the dead – charged to carry the broken-away head of a statue of Virgin Mary in restoration shop. The statue was ancient, the XIV century. What was required to the poor creature in this room that here happened to it – on these questions answers were not neither at monks, nor at police officers. The forensic medical examination showed that the young man – he was only 22 years old – died from the cardiac rupture caused by strong shock … The authorities and the highest spiritual ranks began to press on the chief of local police Mahler, demanding that “crimes” were somewhat quicker solved. Nearly a year Mahler unsuccessfully struggled with a solution. And here somehow in the autumn morning in its office the puny four-eyes in a shabby suit and with the thick folder under the arm was. He called the surname – Bozhe. Bozhe was by profession a historian. And he claimed that he knows secret of murders in Chartres Cathedral! Black Madonna Bozhe’s damnation managed to be dug out in archives of the information about the certain young man by the name of Gerard serving at the beginning of the 13th century as a journeyman in artel of bricklayers. It were not simple bricklayers – they belonged to order of knights templars and were at the same time builders and sculptors. In artel there was the hierarchy, everyone who wanted to become a master was obliged to pass a number of tests and to accept dedication. It was necessary and Gerardu. At that time artelshchik were just engaged in restoration of the burned-down Chartres Cathedral. Somehow, walking across the territory of building, Gerard noticed the standing apart structure without windows which was buried in dense verdure. The curious young man wanted to enter there, but did not find doors. Then he called to the aid Blessed Virgin – and soon came across an imperceptible narrow aperture. Inside it was dark. When Gerard’s eyes got used to a gloom, he saw a small wooden figure at a wall. Having solved it is better to consider a figurine, the young man took out it on light. Before it there was an image of the woman with slightly arrogant, majestic face and a convex stomach, obviously pregnant. On a pedestal of a statue the strange symbols representing a snake and a cross from the bound oak branches were cut out. The young bricklayer understood that before him who other as famous Black Virgin! Let’s make small retreat. Up to the XVIII century the figurine of the woman carrying under the child’s heart, which is cut out from an ebony was stored in a cathedral. Black Virgin, or Black Madonna, as her Christians called, was found in the 3rd century and since then was esteemed as the image of the Mother of God. However, according to historians, the figurine represented not Virgin Mary, but the Celtic goddess-foremother at all. Tell that in pagan times to the druids living here vision – the goddess expecting the child was. After that they made of a tree a statue of the young woman on сносях and began to worship it. They called it “Virgin underground” as the figurine was stored in an underground sanctuary. Catholics, having found it, took it for a sign – here it is necessary to build the temple. Also erected on this place the first church in honor of Virgin Mary. Unexpectedly in the head of a journeyman the thought – crept in and that if to take away a figure with itself? On beliefs of Templars, Virgin Mary patronized builders of cathedrals. And he needed to pass examination for the master. Gerard decided that he will for a while take a figurine, and then will imperceptibly put it back. Having wrapped a product in a linen rag, he went was in the workshop, but before it he suddenly wanted to look at just built up Royal portal. Having entered there, the young man in admiration stiffened before stained-glass windows on which scenes from life of the Mother of God and the baby Christ were represented. Mechanically he put a parcel with a figurine on a floor – and at all forgot about it. The next morning he was woken by shouts: “Get up, get up! The royal portal burns!” All magnificent construction burned down completely. Wandering about the ashes, Gerard saw the worker holding in hand a figure from an ebony. Black Madonna did not suffer from fire at all. By hook or by crook the journeyman managed to catch her again … He long begged for forgiveness at a statue, having considered that a cause of the fire – its negligent attitude towards her. From Black Virgin the wave of powerful energy proceeded – it was felt physically. Gerard took it for a goodwill sign to it Prechista. And right there conceived to vytesat just the same figure of Blessed Virgin from a stone. The whole year, almost without food and rest, he worked on a statue. But work was not got on. The nose for some reason left hooked, in a neck something snake seemed. It seemed, from under its cutter there is an image not of the Prechisty, but natural witch! At last, some days before work delivery Gerard split the child into small parts. He decided that Saint Virgin considered it unworthy to model her. Having wrapped a wooden figurine in fabric, the young man went for building. But on the way it did not keep and turned to the altar hall of a cathedral to look at creations of other masters – in the temple there were Christian sculptures brought from nearby monasteries. With envy having looked at them, the young man put Black Virgin into place and started wandering away. On the road it was overtaken by riders in clothes of Templars. They loudly exchanged words among themselves that in the altar hall of a cathedral there was a misfortune. Not the woods failed, not stone plates broke from suspension brackets, having crushed under themselves part of an altar, sculpture and living people … Gerard remembered stories about a pagan origin of Black Madonna. “Any it is not Madonna! This is the pagan goddess!” – reached it. He hurried to take away once again a wooden figurine from its shelter. And built similarity of an altar on a window sill of the workshop in the evening: put images of the Virgin and Christ, lit candles. Having put Black Virgin statue on a floor, the young man long said over it the prayers which are casting out demons and dawned on it signs of the cross. At last, having decided that “the black deviless” is neutralized, went outside, intending to find the secluded town and to burn there a devil sculpture. Alas, its intentions were stopped in the most tragic way. Unfortunate the journeyman to death brought down a horse! The figurine was found near Gerard’s corpse and returned to the cathedral extension located if to trust reliable sources, directly over a burial ground of druids. After that Black Madonna’s figure was stored in many temples. In the years of Great French revolution it disappeared. As the official version says, burned down during the fire. According to Bozhe, all troubles occurred because the foremother of ancient Celts did not take out the neighbourhood with objects of a Christian cult. Not without reason it was stored in the certain room. Some time the figure was at Templars who surrounded it with druidichesky symbols, such as a snake and a cross from oak branches, vytesanny on a pedestal. Apparently, thus, the Black Goddess became safe. However, these precautions were some kind of magic cult too. Among Templars, as we know, there were many adherents of occult sciences, as allowed inquisition to accuse after members of an award of communications with a devil. So, if to follow Bozhe’s logic, then poor Bernard paid for the fact that brought a Christian shrine in monastery of the Black Goddess. However, by then it already there was not, but … And suddenly it is still stored somewhere in the secret place? Or it is all about the underground pagan temple? And what befell the dead Bernard’s predecessors here? And all these fires and accidents? Whatever speculated researchers, hardly these secrets will be ever solved because they treat area of forbidden …

Zhanna KAZAKOVA Secret Power