During my pilgrimage just ended, there was one day–a Friday–when I attended early morning Mass at Chartres Cathedral and then later in the day, toured the great Notre-Dame in Paris.
The contrast between the two, was profound. Chartres fills you with awe. That’s really the word for it: awe. There is no glibness in the space of Chartres; it seems impossible. The massiveness of the building and the respectfulness of the side chapels, as well as those who seem to spend time there, cannot help but prod an agnostic believer into deeper recesses of potential faith.
But then, Notre-Dame, on the other hand…was like a carnival. No sense of decorum or respectfulness at all by the people milling about. One of the side chapels has actually been converted into some sort of computer room; and each side chapel is outfitted with a sturdy plastic printed sign that looks like you are at Starbucks. Even the gift shop–always present somewhere in a French cathedral–is located in the actual nave of the church.
Give me Chartres, anyday. A truly Catholic experience.
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