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TheChartres pilgrimage (French:pèlerinage de Chartres), also known in French as thepèlerinage de Chrétienté (English:pilgrimage of Christendom), is an annualpilgrimage fromNotre-Dame de Paris toNotre-Dame de Chartres occurring around the Christian feast ofPentecost, organized by Notre-Dame de Chrétienté (English:Our Lady of Christendom), aCatholiclaynon-profit organization based inVersailles,France. The pilgrimage characteristically celebrates theTraditional Roman Rite.
Although the pilgrimage has existed since 1983, the organization was not founded until 1991. In 2007, the 25th anniversary of the pilgrimage, amid rumours of a forthcoming papal document favouring use of the1962 Roman Missal – themotu proprioSummorum Pontificum was in fact published on 7 July of that year – there were nearly ten thousand pilgrims in Chartres on Pentecost Monday May 28 despite difficult weather conditions.[1]
There is also a pilgrimage in an opposite direction from Chartres to Paris calledPèlerinage de Tradition (Pilgrimage of Tradition) and organised by theSociety of Saint Pius X.
Chartres was a place of pilgrimage even before its Gothic cathedral was built and, by the end of the 12th century, became one of the most popular pilgrimage destinations in Europe. Its popularity is largely due to the presence of theSancta Camisa, a piece of silk supposed to have been worn by theBlessed Virgin Mary at thebirth of Jesus, donated to the cathedral by KingCharles the Bald.[2]
French poet and essayist,Charles Peguy, is credited with keeping the pilgrim's route from Paris to Chartres alive in the 20th century. For most of his life, Peguy was an ardent socialist who found himself at odds with the views of the Catholic Church. Shortly after experiencing a conversion of heart, Peguy made a pilgrimage from the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris to Chartres Cathedral to pray for his son, who was very ill. His son recovered, and Peguy would continue to walk this pilgrimage route several times before he died in battle during theFirst World War.[3] Peguy's friends continued to walk the pilgrimage in his memory, and a student pilgrimage grew to attract thousands in the mid 20th century.[4][5]
After a period of decline in the 1960s, the modern Paris-Chartres pilgrimage was revived in 1983 by atraditionalist Catholic organization,Le Centre Henri-et-André-Charlier.[6]
In 1988, traditionalist archbishopMarcel Lefebvreconsecrated four priests as bishops against the express order ofPope John Paul II. Due to the declaration of schism in the motu proprio,Ecclesia Dei, the traditionalist community was divided due to this event, and Archbishop Lefebvre'sSociety of Saint Pius X has since organized a separate pilgrimage which goes from Chartres to Paris calledLe Pèlerinage de Tradition (Pilgrimage of Tradition).[7] While the excommunications on the 4 surviving bishops were subsequently lifted in 2009 and in spite of the society'sirregular canonical status in the Catholic Church, this pilgrimage attracts a large number of people, notably over 6000 in 2024.[8]
In 1991, the Notre-Dame de Chrétienté association was founded to continue to manage the logistics of the Paris-Chartres pilgrimage.[6]
The Chartres Pilgrimage has attracted significant interest especially amongst Catholics with a love for the Tridentine Mass. The annual event attracts thousands of Christians from across France, as well as a sizable number of international pilgrims. In 2023, for the first time in the pilgrimage's history, registrations had to be closed to latecomers due to logistical difficulties after more than 16,000 pilgrims registered.[9] In 2024, registrations had to be closed to latecomers once again, despite extending the capacity of the event to accommodate more than 18,000 pilgrims.[10][11]
The Chartres Pilgrimage has also inspired similar events in other parts of the world.
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