CHARTRES.Itis the hour of pilgrimages. Probably never since the middle ages were they so numerous, or, with regard to the public ones, so carefully organized as at the present time; whether to the favored localities to which in these latter days heavenly manifestations have been accorded, or to the ancient sanctuaries whose history is coeval with that of the whole Christian era.At this moment, when a vast concourse of pilgrims from various parts of France, and especially from its capital, are gone to pay their homage to our Lady of Chartres, and beg her intercession on behalf of their country, it may not be uninteresting to some among our readers if we endeavor briefly to trace the history of this celebrated shrine.On entering the richly sculptured entrance—too large to be called a porch, and too truly Gothic to be called a portico—of the church of S. Germain l’Auxerrois in Paris, the visitor is struck with the beauty of the ancient frescos with which its interior is adorned; so effective in composition, so spiritual in expression, and in execution so delicate, simple, and refined. In one of these, which fills the tympanum of a closed arch forming part of the north side, is depicted the form of a venerable, white-bearded sage, who might without difficulty serve to represent a Druid (though in all probability it is the prophet Isaias), kneeling, with an expression of wonder and joy on his aged countenance, while an angel, opening a window, shows him a distant vision of the Virgin Mother and her divine Son.The connection between the subject of this fresco and that of the present article will shortly be apparent. The ancient city, which was formerly the capital of the Carnutes, claims the honor of having been the first in the world to consecrate a temple to the Blessed Virgin.Chartres, before the Christian era dawned upon the earth, foresaw from the midnight darkness the shining of the “Morning Star” which should precede its rising, and by anticipation did homage to the Virgin who was to bring forth—Virgini Parituræ.It was previous to the subjugation of the Gauls by the Roman arms that this homage began. They were still a free, wild, and haughty race;Mala gens, according to theCommentariesof their conqueror; livinglittle in their towns, much in their pathless forests; they are, moreover, by the same author reported to be a religious people; that is to say, submissive to their priests, from whom they had not only their faith, but also their laws and government.These priests were the Druids. If old Armorica was the cradle of their worship, it is no less true that it had at a very early period spread not only into Britain, but also over the whole of Gaul, establishing at Chartres the central point of its continental empire. There the solemn sacrifices were offered, and there were held the tribunals of justice;in loco consecrato,[207]which expression, by a slight variation, might fittingly be rendered,in luco consecrato, considering the veneration in which woods and groves were held, and that it was in these that the assemblies met.Not until after the Roman invasion was polytheism gradually and with difficulty engrafted on the more primitive Druidic worship, which was evidently neither of Greek nor Latin origin, but rather the offspring of Egypt or Chaldea, with occasional indications of affinity with the belief of the Hebrews. The Galli and Cymri had originally come from the East, being alike descendants of Gomer, the son of Japhet.[208]As some writers have imagined the Egyptian cross in the form of the GreekΤ, thesignum vitæ futuræ, to have proved the expectation among that nation of the coming of the Messias, so others have seen in the venerated mistletoe attached to the oak an image of the Redeemer on the cross, and in the offerings of bread and wine a foreshadowing of the sacrament of the altar. In any case, these were but vague notions or veiled presentiments of truths of which Israel alone possessed the certainty; yet some stray gleam from the light of Hebrew prophecy may have shown to others than the chosen people a faint and distant vision of that great second Mother of the human race who should repair the ills brought on it by the first.According to the oldest traditions, it was a hundred years before the birth of our Saviour that this expectation manifested itself in a public manner among the Druids of the Carnutes, by the consecration of a grotto, for a long time previous famous among them, to the “Virgin who was to bring forth.”No written document of equal antiquity to this epoch exists in support of the tradition; nor would it be possible, from the fact that the Druids committed nothing to writing, but transmitted the doctrines of their religion and the facts of history solely by oral teaching.The Cathedral of Chartres, however, from the time of its foundation by the Blessed Aventinus, who is said to have been the disciple of S. Peter, faithfully guarded the memory of an event which was its peculiar glory, by consigning the history thereof to its archives. These were carefully consulted by the Abbé Sébastien Rouillard, especially a very ancient chronicle which was translated from Latin into French in 1262, during the reign of S. Louis, and of which he gives the following account, although, in rendering it into English, we lose the charm of the quaint original: “Wherefore the Druids having arrived at this last centenary which immediately preceded the birth of Our Lord, ... the said Druids being assembled together by the revolution of the new year to perform their accustomed ceremonies for gathering in the mistletoe, which, coming from heaven and attachingitself to oaks and divers other trees, was a figure of the Messias; at that time, in the assembly of the aforesaid Druids, all being vested in their mantles of white wool, after their custom, in the presence of Priscus, King of Chartres, and of the princes, lords, and other estates of the province, the Archdruid, having made the sacrifice of bread and wine according to custom, and praying the God of heaven that the sacrifice aforesaid might be salutary to all the people of the Carnutes, declared that the divine inbreathing (afflatus) with which he felt himself filled so greatly overpowered him as well-nigh to take away the power of speech, causing his heart to beat with vehement blows, and overwhelming it with extraordinary joy, seeing that he had to announce, by the revolution of the new century, the presage of her approach who should restore the golden age, and bring forth Him for whom the nations waited.” “Wherefore, O heaven! is thy tardy movement slower than the longing of my desires?... If old age, which has brought my steps to the brink of the grave, forbids me to behold with my own eyes that which I foresee, nevertheless I render thanks, O Deity Supreme, to thee, who hast inspired our sacred college with its expectation. In the midst of this grotto, and hard by this well, shall be raised an altar and an image to the Virgin who shall bring forth a Son. And do ye, princes and lords here present, declare whether this thing is pleasing to you.” Thus spoke the pontiff, while tears rolled down his long white beard. The whole assembly, being seized with a spirit of joy and devotion, eagerly corresponded with the desires of its high-priest. The altar was raised and the image dedicated—Virgini Parituræ.The place where this solemn assembly was held is none other than the hill whereon now stands the Cathedral of Chartres. At that period, a thick wood surrounded the grotto, which resembled theGrottes des Féesstill to be seen in many secluded country-places in France, and which were not unfrequently the abodes of Druidesses, the remembrance of whom is preserved under this popular appellation.We have here, according to this tradition, the most ancient pilgrimage, which was Christian in spirit before being so in reality. The other Druidic virgins, venerated in various places, as at Nogent, Longpont, and Châlons-sur-Marne, were all later and in imitation of the Virgin of Chartres.The consecrated grotto in time became the crypt of the mediæval cathedral which now in all its majestic beauty rises above it. The original building, in consequence of various catastrophes, changed its form, and was more than once renewed before obtaining its present splendor; but the Druidic image has invariably remained in the locality first assigned to it, whither all the centuries of Christian times have successively sent multitudes of pilgrims to do homage toNotre Dame de Soubs Terre, and whither we must go to find the copy which has replaced the ancient and venerable effigy, destroyed, not yet a century ago, by sacrilegious hands, which, in the time of the great Revolution, tore it from its sanctuary and threw it into the flames. The present image is a faithful reproduction of the Druidic one, of which a minute description is given in a chronologicalHistory of Chartres, written in the XVIth century. The Virgin Mother is enthroned, with her son upon her knees, whose right hand is raised in benediction, while in the left he holdsthe globe of the world. Over the Virgin’s robe is a mantle in form of a dalmatic; her head is covered with a veil, surmounted by a crown, of which the ornaments somewhat resemble the leaves of the ash. Her countenance is extremely well formed, oval, dark, and shining, and the whole figure has much resemblance to the ancient Byzantine type. With regard to the supposed reasons for the color of the complexion, we will quote the words of Sébastien Rouillard:“La dite image des Druides est de couleur mauresque, comme presque toutes les aultres de l’Eglise de Chartres. Ce que l’on estime avoir été fait par les Druides et aultres à leur suitte, sur la présomptive couleur du peuple oriental, exposé plus que nous aux ardeurs du soleil, cause que l’Espouse du Cantique des Cantiques dit que le soleil l’a découlourée, et que pour être brune, elle ne laisse d’être belle. Néantmoins Nicephore qui avait vue plusieurs tableaux de cette Vierge faicte par Saint Luc après le naturel, dit que la couleur de son visage estoitsitochroë, ou de couleur de froument. Si ce n’est qu’on veuille dire que le froument estant meur tire sur le brun ou couleur de chastaigne.”[209]The remainder of the description is so charming that we cannot refrain from finishing the portrait:“La Vierge estoit de stature médiocre.... Ses cheveux tiraient sur l’or; ses yeux estoient acres et estincellans, aiant les prunelles jaunastres et de couleur d’olive, ses sourcils cambrez en forme d’arcade, et d’une couleur noire leur avenant fort bien. Son nez estoit longuet, ses lèvres vives et flories, sa face non ronde ni aiguë, mais un peu longuette, les mains et les doigts pareillement longuets. Elle estoit en toutes choses honneste et grave, parlant peu à peu et à propos; facile à escouter toutes personnes, affable des plus et faisant honneur à chascun, selon sa qualité. Elle usoit d’une honneste liberté de parler, sans rire, sans se troubler, sans se mettre en cholère. Elle estoit exempte de tout fast, sans se déguiser le maintien, sans user de délicatesse, et en toutes ses actions monstrant une grande humilité.”[210]In presence of the numerous and invariable testimonies of tradition, not only the great antiquity, but also the Druidic origin of the pilgrimage of Notre Dame de Chartres appear incontestable, and this belief is further confirmed by many historical documents, such as, for instance, the letters-patent which in the year 1432 were granted at Loches to the Chartrians by Charles VII., and which contain the following declaration:“L’Eglise de Chartres est la plus ancienne de notre roïaume, fondée par prophétie en l’honneur de laglorieuse Vierge-Mère, avant l’incarnation de Notre Seigneur Jhésus Christ et en laquelle icelle glorieuse Vierge fut adorée en son vivant.”[211]Without allowing the same degree of credence to the miracles which, according to the archives of this church, signalized the future power of Mary in times anterior to the Christian era, we will mention one only of those among them which appear to be worthy of belief. This was represented in the rich mediæval glass of the “Window of Miracles,” destroyed at the Revolution, where also could be read the name of Geoffrey [Gaufridus].This Geoffrey, in the time of the Druids, was King of Montlhéry. There were in those days kings in profusion, and this one was vassal to Priscus, King of Chartres. Geoffrey had an only son, his chief joy, who accidentally fell into the deep well of the castle, and was taken out dead. The king was distracted with grief, but, having heard of sundry miracles which had been wrought by the Virgin of Chartres (to the amazement of the Druids, who had known nothing of the kind in their false religion), he forthwith prayed to her with many tears, entreating that she would restore his son to life. Little by little the youth began to breathe, and soon was completely recovered. The father, full of gratitude, went with large offerings to the grotto to return thanks for the life of his son. Priscus showed himself no less devout. He caused a statue to be made after the pattern of the one at Chartres, and placed it at Longpont, where arose later a celebrated abbey, and whither pilgrimages have ever since continued to be made. Having no child, he bequeathed all his rights and possessions to the Virgin of Chartres. Of these the Druids enjoyed the benefit, and the French chroniclers observe that the bishops who have succeeded them are thus, in fact, the temporal princes also of the city, and that the Holy Virgin is by legal right Lady of Chartres.It is, however, on entirely different and sufficient grounds for belief that the facts must be placed which relate to the arrival of the illustrious saints, Savinian and Potentian, two of those heroic missioners who were calledbishops of the nations, whom Christian Rome, more eager to make the conquest of the world than pagan Rome had ever been, sent to evangelize heathendom.When these first preachers of Christianity appeared among the Carnutes, they found them subjugated, indeed, by the Roman arms, but exceptionally rebellious against all endeavors that were used to induce their adoption of the Roman gods; still submissive to the Druids, whom the conquerors persecuted as representing the party of national resistance.Potentian had associated with him in his labors two faithful disciples, S. Edoald and S. Altinus. Led by the Spirit of God, and knowing the religious belief of the Druids, he repaired at once to the renowned grotto, where he found them assembled, together with a numerous concourse of people; and, adapting to the occasion the words of S. Paul at Athens, he said to them: “This Virgin whom you honor without knowing I am come to make known unto you”; and soon the darkness giving place to light in minds that were predisposed to receive it, a large number of those present begged forthwith for baptism. They werebaptized in the water of the well, the Druidic image received Christian benediction, the altar was consecrated to Mary, and the whole sanctuary dedicated to the true God.Mention is made of this ceremony in the breviary of Chartres, on the 17th of October.The new Christian community was not destined to enjoy long peace. Quirinus, the governor of the country under the Emperor Claudius, in obedience to an edict issued by the latter against the Christians, entered the grotto with a company of armed soldiers when the faithful were there assembled, and, seizing S. Potentian, S. Edoald, and S. Altinus, reserved them for more prolonged sufferings, while he caused the rest of the worshippers to be massacred on the spot. Among these was found his own daughter, since honored in the church as S. Modesta. The bodies of the martyrs were thrown into the well of the grotto, which from that time bore the name ofLe puits des Saints Forts.The governor, being struck with sudden death, was not permitted to carry out his designs against S. Potentian and his companions, who, being set at liberty, proceeded to Sens to continue their labors, leaving S. Aventine at Chartres, of which city he was the first bishop.Setting aside the improbable legend which relates that the people of Chartres, upon learning that the Blessed Virgin was still living, sent an embassy to Ephesus to convey to her their homage, and pray her to receive the title ofDomina Carnoti, which, according to Guillaume le Breton, she willingly accepted, we hope in a future article to give the eventful history of the erection of the cathedral over the primitive grotto, which in the XIth century grew into the present vast and massive crypt, perhaps the finest in the world.
CHARTRES.Itis the hour of pilgrimages. Probably never since the middle ages were they so numerous, or, with regard to the public ones, so carefully organized as at the present time; whether to the favored localities to which in these latter days heavenly manifestations have been accorded, or to the ancient sanctuaries whose history is coeval with that of the whole Christian era.At this moment, when a vast concourse of pilgrims from various parts of France, and especially from its capital, are gone to pay their homage to our Lady of Chartres, and beg her intercession on behalf of their country, it may not be uninteresting to some among our readers if we endeavor briefly to trace the history of this celebrated shrine.On entering the richly sculptured entrance—too large to be called a porch, and too truly Gothic to be called a portico—of the church of S. Germain l’Auxerrois in Paris, the visitor is struck with the beauty of the ancient frescos with which its interior is adorned; so effective in composition, so spiritual in expression, and in execution so delicate, simple, and refined. In one of these, which fills the tympanum of a closed arch forming part of the north side, is depicted the form of a venerable, white-bearded sage, who might without difficulty serve to represent a Druid (though in all probability it is the prophet Isaias), kneeling, with an expression of wonder and joy on his aged countenance, while an angel, opening a window, shows him a distant vision of the Virgin Mother and her divine Son.The connection between the subject of this fresco and that of the present article will shortly be apparent. The ancient city, which was formerly the capital of the Carnutes, claims the honor of having been the first in the world to consecrate a temple to the Blessed Virgin.Chartres, before the Christian era dawned upon the earth, foresaw from the midnight darkness the shining of the “Morning Star” which should precede its rising, and by anticipation did homage to the Virgin who was to bring forth—Virgini Parituræ.It was previous to the subjugation of the Gauls by the Roman arms that this homage began. They were still a free, wild, and haughty race;Mala gens, according to theCommentariesof their conqueror; livinglittle in their towns, much in their pathless forests; they are, moreover, by the same author reported to be a religious people; that is to say, submissive to their priests, from whom they had not only their faith, but also their laws and government.These priests were the Druids. If old Armorica was the cradle of their worship, it is no less true that it had at a very early period spread not only into Britain, but also over the whole of Gaul, establishing at Chartres the central point of its continental empire. There the solemn sacrifices were offered, and there were held the tribunals of justice;in loco consecrato,[207]which expression, by a slight variation, might fittingly be rendered,in luco consecrato, considering the veneration in which woods and groves were held, and that it was in these that the assemblies met.Not until after the Roman invasion was polytheism gradually and with difficulty engrafted on the more primitive Druidic worship, which was evidently neither of Greek nor Latin origin, but rather the offspring of Egypt or Chaldea, with occasional indications of affinity with the belief of the Hebrews. The Galli and Cymri had originally come from the East, being alike descendants of Gomer, the son of Japhet.[208]As some writers have imagined the Egyptian cross in the form of the GreekΤ, thesignum vitæ futuræ, to have proved the expectation among that nation of the coming of the Messias, so others have seen in the venerated mistletoe attached to the oak an image of the Redeemer on the cross, and in the offerings of bread and wine a foreshadowing of the sacrament of the altar. In any case, these were but vague notions or veiled presentiments of truths of which Israel alone possessed the certainty; yet some stray gleam from the light of Hebrew prophecy may have shown to others than the chosen people a faint and distant vision of that great second Mother of the human race who should repair the ills brought on it by the first.According to the oldest traditions, it was a hundred years before the birth of our Saviour that this expectation manifested itself in a public manner among the Druids of the Carnutes, by the consecration of a grotto, for a long time previous famous among them, to the “Virgin who was to bring forth.”No written document of equal antiquity to this epoch exists in support of the tradition; nor would it be possible, from the fact that the Druids committed nothing to writing, but transmitted the doctrines of their religion and the facts of history solely by oral teaching.The Cathedral of Chartres, however, from the time of its foundation by the Blessed Aventinus, who is said to have been the disciple of S. Peter, faithfully guarded the memory of an event which was its peculiar glory, by consigning the history thereof to its archives. These were carefully consulted by the Abbé Sébastien Rouillard, especially a very ancient chronicle which was translated from Latin into French in 1262, during the reign of S. Louis, and of which he gives the following account, although, in rendering it into English, we lose the charm of the quaint original: “Wherefore the Druids having arrived at this last centenary which immediately preceded the birth of Our Lord, ... the said Druids being assembled together by the revolution of the new year to perform their accustomed ceremonies for gathering in the mistletoe, which, coming from heaven and attachingitself to oaks and divers other trees, was a figure of the Messias; at that time, in the assembly of the aforesaid Druids, all being vested in their mantles of white wool, after their custom, in the presence of Priscus, King of Chartres, and of the princes, lords, and other estates of the province, the Archdruid, having made the sacrifice of bread and wine according to custom, and praying the God of heaven that the sacrifice aforesaid might be salutary to all the people of the Carnutes, declared that the divine inbreathing (afflatus) with which he felt himself filled so greatly overpowered him as well-nigh to take away the power of speech, causing his heart to beat with vehement blows, and overwhelming it with extraordinary joy, seeing that he had to announce, by the revolution of the new century, the presage of her approach who should restore the golden age, and bring forth Him for whom the nations waited.” “Wherefore, O heaven! is thy tardy movement slower than the longing of my desires?... If old age, which has brought my steps to the brink of the grave, forbids me to behold with my own eyes that which I foresee, nevertheless I render thanks, O Deity Supreme, to thee, who hast inspired our sacred college with its expectation. In the midst of this grotto, and hard by this well, shall be raised an altar and an image to the Virgin who shall bring forth a Son. And do ye, princes and lords here present, declare whether this thing is pleasing to you.” Thus spoke the pontiff, while tears rolled down his long white beard. The whole assembly, being seized with a spirit of joy and devotion, eagerly corresponded with the desires of its high-priest. The altar was raised and the image dedicated—Virgini Parituræ.The place where this solemn assembly was held is none other than the hill whereon now stands the Cathedral of Chartres. At that period, a thick wood surrounded the grotto, which resembled theGrottes des Féesstill to be seen in many secluded country-places in France, and which were not unfrequently the abodes of Druidesses, the remembrance of whom is preserved under this popular appellation.We have here, according to this tradition, the most ancient pilgrimage, which was Christian in spirit before being so in reality. The other Druidic virgins, venerated in various places, as at Nogent, Longpont, and Châlons-sur-Marne, were all later and in imitation of the Virgin of Chartres.The consecrated grotto in time became the crypt of the mediæval cathedral which now in all its majestic beauty rises above it. The original building, in consequence of various catastrophes, changed its form, and was more than once renewed before obtaining its present splendor; but the Druidic image has invariably remained in the locality first assigned to it, whither all the centuries of Christian times have successively sent multitudes of pilgrims to do homage toNotre Dame de Soubs Terre, and whither we must go to find the copy which has replaced the ancient and venerable effigy, destroyed, not yet a century ago, by sacrilegious hands, which, in the time of the great Revolution, tore it from its sanctuary and threw it into the flames. The present image is a faithful reproduction of the Druidic one, of which a minute description is given in a chronologicalHistory of Chartres, written in the XVIth century. The Virgin Mother is enthroned, with her son upon her knees, whose right hand is raised in benediction, while in the left he holdsthe globe of the world. Over the Virgin’s robe is a mantle in form of a dalmatic; her head is covered with a veil, surmounted by a crown, of which the ornaments somewhat resemble the leaves of the ash. Her countenance is extremely well formed, oval, dark, and shining, and the whole figure has much resemblance to the ancient Byzantine type. With regard to the supposed reasons for the color of the complexion, we will quote the words of Sébastien Rouillard:“La dite image des Druides est de couleur mauresque, comme presque toutes les aultres de l’Eglise de Chartres. Ce que l’on estime avoir été fait par les Druides et aultres à leur suitte, sur la présomptive couleur du peuple oriental, exposé plus que nous aux ardeurs du soleil, cause que l’Espouse du Cantique des Cantiques dit que le soleil l’a découlourée, et que pour être brune, elle ne laisse d’être belle. Néantmoins Nicephore qui avait vue plusieurs tableaux de cette Vierge faicte par Saint Luc après le naturel, dit que la couleur de son visage estoitsitochroë, ou de couleur de froument. Si ce n’est qu’on veuille dire que le froument estant meur tire sur le brun ou couleur de chastaigne.”[209]The remainder of the description is so charming that we cannot refrain from finishing the portrait:“La Vierge estoit de stature médiocre.... Ses cheveux tiraient sur l’or; ses yeux estoient acres et estincellans, aiant les prunelles jaunastres et de couleur d’olive, ses sourcils cambrez en forme d’arcade, et d’une couleur noire leur avenant fort bien. Son nez estoit longuet, ses lèvres vives et flories, sa face non ronde ni aiguë, mais un peu longuette, les mains et les doigts pareillement longuets. Elle estoit en toutes choses honneste et grave, parlant peu à peu et à propos; facile à escouter toutes personnes, affable des plus et faisant honneur à chascun, selon sa qualité. Elle usoit d’une honneste liberté de parler, sans rire, sans se troubler, sans se mettre en cholère. Elle estoit exempte de tout fast, sans se déguiser le maintien, sans user de délicatesse, et en toutes ses actions monstrant une grande humilité.”[210]In presence of the numerous and invariable testimonies of tradition, not only the great antiquity, but also the Druidic origin of the pilgrimage of Notre Dame de Chartres appear incontestable, and this belief is further confirmed by many historical documents, such as, for instance, the letters-patent which in the year 1432 were granted at Loches to the Chartrians by Charles VII., and which contain the following declaration:“L’Eglise de Chartres est la plus ancienne de notre roïaume, fondée par prophétie en l’honneur de laglorieuse Vierge-Mère, avant l’incarnation de Notre Seigneur Jhésus Christ et en laquelle icelle glorieuse Vierge fut adorée en son vivant.”[211]Without allowing the same degree of credence to the miracles which, according to the archives of this church, signalized the future power of Mary in times anterior to the Christian era, we will mention one only of those among them which appear to be worthy of belief. This was represented in the rich mediæval glass of the “Window of Miracles,” destroyed at the Revolution, where also could be read the name of Geoffrey [Gaufridus].This Geoffrey, in the time of the Druids, was King of Montlhéry. There were in those days kings in profusion, and this one was vassal to Priscus, King of Chartres. Geoffrey had an only son, his chief joy, who accidentally fell into the deep well of the castle, and was taken out dead. The king was distracted with grief, but, having heard of sundry miracles which had been wrought by the Virgin of Chartres (to the amazement of the Druids, who had known nothing of the kind in their false religion), he forthwith prayed to her with many tears, entreating that she would restore his son to life. Little by little the youth began to breathe, and soon was completely recovered. The father, full of gratitude, went with large offerings to the grotto to return thanks for the life of his son. Priscus showed himself no less devout. He caused a statue to be made after the pattern of the one at Chartres, and placed it at Longpont, where arose later a celebrated abbey, and whither pilgrimages have ever since continued to be made. Having no child, he bequeathed all his rights and possessions to the Virgin of Chartres. Of these the Druids enjoyed the benefit, and the French chroniclers observe that the bishops who have succeeded them are thus, in fact, the temporal princes also of the city, and that the Holy Virgin is by legal right Lady of Chartres.It is, however, on entirely different and sufficient grounds for belief that the facts must be placed which relate to the arrival of the illustrious saints, Savinian and Potentian, two of those heroic missioners who were calledbishops of the nations, whom Christian Rome, more eager to make the conquest of the world than pagan Rome had ever been, sent to evangelize heathendom.When these first preachers of Christianity appeared among the Carnutes, they found them subjugated, indeed, by the Roman arms, but exceptionally rebellious against all endeavors that were used to induce their adoption of the Roman gods; still submissive to the Druids, whom the conquerors persecuted as representing the party of national resistance.Potentian had associated with him in his labors two faithful disciples, S. Edoald and S. Altinus. Led by the Spirit of God, and knowing the religious belief of the Druids, he repaired at once to the renowned grotto, where he found them assembled, together with a numerous concourse of people; and, adapting to the occasion the words of S. Paul at Athens, he said to them: “This Virgin whom you honor without knowing I am come to make known unto you”; and soon the darkness giving place to light in minds that were predisposed to receive it, a large number of those present begged forthwith for baptism. They werebaptized in the water of the well, the Druidic image received Christian benediction, the altar was consecrated to Mary, and the whole sanctuary dedicated to the true God.Mention is made of this ceremony in the breviary of Chartres, on the 17th of October.The new Christian community was not destined to enjoy long peace. Quirinus, the governor of the country under the Emperor Claudius, in obedience to an edict issued by the latter against the Christians, entered the grotto with a company of armed soldiers when the faithful were there assembled, and, seizing S. Potentian, S. Edoald, and S. Altinus, reserved them for more prolonged sufferings, while he caused the rest of the worshippers to be massacred on the spot. Among these was found his own daughter, since honored in the church as S. Modesta. The bodies of the martyrs were thrown into the well of the grotto, which from that time bore the name ofLe puits des Saints Forts.The governor, being struck with sudden death, was not permitted to carry out his designs against S. Potentian and his companions, who, being set at liberty, proceeded to Sens to continue their labors, leaving S. Aventine at Chartres, of which city he was the first bishop.Setting aside the improbable legend which relates that the people of Chartres, upon learning that the Blessed Virgin was still living, sent an embassy to Ephesus to convey to her their homage, and pray her to receive the title ofDomina Carnoti, which, according to Guillaume le Breton, she willingly accepted, we hope in a future article to give the eventful history of the erection of the cathedral over the primitive grotto, which in the XIth century grew into the present vast and massive crypt, perhaps the finest in the world.
Itis the hour of pilgrimages. Probably never since the middle ages were they so numerous, or, with regard to the public ones, so carefully organized as at the present time; whether to the favored localities to which in these latter days heavenly manifestations have been accorded, or to the ancient sanctuaries whose history is coeval with that of the whole Christian era.
At this moment, when a vast concourse of pilgrims from various parts of France, and especially from its capital, are gone to pay their homage to our Lady of Chartres, and beg her intercession on behalf of their country, it may not be uninteresting to some among our readers if we endeavor briefly to trace the history of this celebrated shrine.
On entering the richly sculptured entrance—too large to be called a porch, and too truly Gothic to be called a portico—of the church of S. Germain l’Auxerrois in Paris, the visitor is struck with the beauty of the ancient frescos with which its interior is adorned; so effective in composition, so spiritual in expression, and in execution so delicate, simple, and refined. In one of these, which fills the tympanum of a closed arch forming part of the north side, is depicted the form of a venerable, white-bearded sage, who might without difficulty serve to represent a Druid (though in all probability it is the prophet Isaias), kneeling, with an expression of wonder and joy on his aged countenance, while an angel, opening a window, shows him a distant vision of the Virgin Mother and her divine Son.
The connection between the subject of this fresco and that of the present article will shortly be apparent. The ancient city, which was formerly the capital of the Carnutes, claims the honor of having been the first in the world to consecrate a temple to the Blessed Virgin.
Chartres, before the Christian era dawned upon the earth, foresaw from the midnight darkness the shining of the “Morning Star” which should precede its rising, and by anticipation did homage to the Virgin who was to bring forth—Virgini Parituræ.
It was previous to the subjugation of the Gauls by the Roman arms that this homage began. They were still a free, wild, and haughty race;Mala gens, according to theCommentariesof their conqueror; livinglittle in their towns, much in their pathless forests; they are, moreover, by the same author reported to be a religious people; that is to say, submissive to their priests, from whom they had not only their faith, but also their laws and government.
These priests were the Druids. If old Armorica was the cradle of their worship, it is no less true that it had at a very early period spread not only into Britain, but also over the whole of Gaul, establishing at Chartres the central point of its continental empire. There the solemn sacrifices were offered, and there were held the tribunals of justice;in loco consecrato,[207]which expression, by a slight variation, might fittingly be rendered,in luco consecrato, considering the veneration in which woods and groves were held, and that it was in these that the assemblies met.
Not until after the Roman invasion was polytheism gradually and with difficulty engrafted on the more primitive Druidic worship, which was evidently neither of Greek nor Latin origin, but rather the offspring of Egypt or Chaldea, with occasional indications of affinity with the belief of the Hebrews. The Galli and Cymri had originally come from the East, being alike descendants of Gomer, the son of Japhet.[208]
As some writers have imagined the Egyptian cross in the form of the GreekΤ, thesignum vitæ futuræ, to have proved the expectation among that nation of the coming of the Messias, so others have seen in the venerated mistletoe attached to the oak an image of the Redeemer on the cross, and in the offerings of bread and wine a foreshadowing of the sacrament of the altar. In any case, these were but vague notions or veiled presentiments of truths of which Israel alone possessed the certainty; yet some stray gleam from the light of Hebrew prophecy may have shown to others than the chosen people a faint and distant vision of that great second Mother of the human race who should repair the ills brought on it by the first.
According to the oldest traditions, it was a hundred years before the birth of our Saviour that this expectation manifested itself in a public manner among the Druids of the Carnutes, by the consecration of a grotto, for a long time previous famous among them, to the “Virgin who was to bring forth.”
No written document of equal antiquity to this epoch exists in support of the tradition; nor would it be possible, from the fact that the Druids committed nothing to writing, but transmitted the doctrines of their religion and the facts of history solely by oral teaching.
The Cathedral of Chartres, however, from the time of its foundation by the Blessed Aventinus, who is said to have been the disciple of S. Peter, faithfully guarded the memory of an event which was its peculiar glory, by consigning the history thereof to its archives. These were carefully consulted by the Abbé Sébastien Rouillard, especially a very ancient chronicle which was translated from Latin into French in 1262, during the reign of S. Louis, and of which he gives the following account, although, in rendering it into English, we lose the charm of the quaint original: “Wherefore the Druids having arrived at this last centenary which immediately preceded the birth of Our Lord, ... the said Druids being assembled together by the revolution of the new year to perform their accustomed ceremonies for gathering in the mistletoe, which, coming from heaven and attachingitself to oaks and divers other trees, was a figure of the Messias; at that time, in the assembly of the aforesaid Druids, all being vested in their mantles of white wool, after their custom, in the presence of Priscus, King of Chartres, and of the princes, lords, and other estates of the province, the Archdruid, having made the sacrifice of bread and wine according to custom, and praying the God of heaven that the sacrifice aforesaid might be salutary to all the people of the Carnutes, declared that the divine inbreathing (afflatus) with which he felt himself filled so greatly overpowered him as well-nigh to take away the power of speech, causing his heart to beat with vehement blows, and overwhelming it with extraordinary joy, seeing that he had to announce, by the revolution of the new century, the presage of her approach who should restore the golden age, and bring forth Him for whom the nations waited.” “Wherefore, O heaven! is thy tardy movement slower than the longing of my desires?... If old age, which has brought my steps to the brink of the grave, forbids me to behold with my own eyes that which I foresee, nevertheless I render thanks, O Deity Supreme, to thee, who hast inspired our sacred college with its expectation. In the midst of this grotto, and hard by this well, shall be raised an altar and an image to the Virgin who shall bring forth a Son. And do ye, princes and lords here present, declare whether this thing is pleasing to you.” Thus spoke the pontiff, while tears rolled down his long white beard. The whole assembly, being seized with a spirit of joy and devotion, eagerly corresponded with the desires of its high-priest. The altar was raised and the image dedicated—Virgini Parituræ.
The place where this solemn assembly was held is none other than the hill whereon now stands the Cathedral of Chartres. At that period, a thick wood surrounded the grotto, which resembled theGrottes des Féesstill to be seen in many secluded country-places in France, and which were not unfrequently the abodes of Druidesses, the remembrance of whom is preserved under this popular appellation.
We have here, according to this tradition, the most ancient pilgrimage, which was Christian in spirit before being so in reality. The other Druidic virgins, venerated in various places, as at Nogent, Longpont, and Châlons-sur-Marne, were all later and in imitation of the Virgin of Chartres.
The consecrated grotto in time became the crypt of the mediæval cathedral which now in all its majestic beauty rises above it. The original building, in consequence of various catastrophes, changed its form, and was more than once renewed before obtaining its present splendor; but the Druidic image has invariably remained in the locality first assigned to it, whither all the centuries of Christian times have successively sent multitudes of pilgrims to do homage toNotre Dame de Soubs Terre, and whither we must go to find the copy which has replaced the ancient and venerable effigy, destroyed, not yet a century ago, by sacrilegious hands, which, in the time of the great Revolution, tore it from its sanctuary and threw it into the flames. The present image is a faithful reproduction of the Druidic one, of which a minute description is given in a chronologicalHistory of Chartres, written in the XVIth century. The Virgin Mother is enthroned, with her son upon her knees, whose right hand is raised in benediction, while in the left he holdsthe globe of the world. Over the Virgin’s robe is a mantle in form of a dalmatic; her head is covered with a veil, surmounted by a crown, of which the ornaments somewhat resemble the leaves of the ash. Her countenance is extremely well formed, oval, dark, and shining, and the whole figure has much resemblance to the ancient Byzantine type. With regard to the supposed reasons for the color of the complexion, we will quote the words of Sébastien Rouillard:
“La dite image des Druides est de couleur mauresque, comme presque toutes les aultres de l’Eglise de Chartres. Ce que l’on estime avoir été fait par les Druides et aultres à leur suitte, sur la présomptive couleur du peuple oriental, exposé plus que nous aux ardeurs du soleil, cause que l’Espouse du Cantique des Cantiques dit que le soleil l’a découlourée, et que pour être brune, elle ne laisse d’être belle. Néantmoins Nicephore qui avait vue plusieurs tableaux de cette Vierge faicte par Saint Luc après le naturel, dit que la couleur de son visage estoitsitochroë, ou de couleur de froument. Si ce n’est qu’on veuille dire que le froument estant meur tire sur le brun ou couleur de chastaigne.”[209]
The remainder of the description is so charming that we cannot refrain from finishing the portrait:
“La Vierge estoit de stature médiocre.... Ses cheveux tiraient sur l’or; ses yeux estoient acres et estincellans, aiant les prunelles jaunastres et de couleur d’olive, ses sourcils cambrez en forme d’arcade, et d’une couleur noire leur avenant fort bien. Son nez estoit longuet, ses lèvres vives et flories, sa face non ronde ni aiguë, mais un peu longuette, les mains et les doigts pareillement longuets. Elle estoit en toutes choses honneste et grave, parlant peu à peu et à propos; facile à escouter toutes personnes, affable des plus et faisant honneur à chascun, selon sa qualité. Elle usoit d’une honneste liberté de parler, sans rire, sans se troubler, sans se mettre en cholère. Elle estoit exempte de tout fast, sans se déguiser le maintien, sans user de délicatesse, et en toutes ses actions monstrant une grande humilité.”[210]
In presence of the numerous and invariable testimonies of tradition, not only the great antiquity, but also the Druidic origin of the pilgrimage of Notre Dame de Chartres appear incontestable, and this belief is further confirmed by many historical documents, such as, for instance, the letters-patent which in the year 1432 were granted at Loches to the Chartrians by Charles VII., and which contain the following declaration:
“L’Eglise de Chartres est la plus ancienne de notre roïaume, fondée par prophétie en l’honneur de laglorieuse Vierge-Mère, avant l’incarnation de Notre Seigneur Jhésus Christ et en laquelle icelle glorieuse Vierge fut adorée en son vivant.”[211]
Without allowing the same degree of credence to the miracles which, according to the archives of this church, signalized the future power of Mary in times anterior to the Christian era, we will mention one only of those among them which appear to be worthy of belief. This was represented in the rich mediæval glass of the “Window of Miracles,” destroyed at the Revolution, where also could be read the name of Geoffrey [Gaufridus].
This Geoffrey, in the time of the Druids, was King of Montlhéry. There were in those days kings in profusion, and this one was vassal to Priscus, King of Chartres. Geoffrey had an only son, his chief joy, who accidentally fell into the deep well of the castle, and was taken out dead. The king was distracted with grief, but, having heard of sundry miracles which had been wrought by the Virgin of Chartres (to the amazement of the Druids, who had known nothing of the kind in their false religion), he forthwith prayed to her with many tears, entreating that she would restore his son to life. Little by little the youth began to breathe, and soon was completely recovered. The father, full of gratitude, went with large offerings to the grotto to return thanks for the life of his son. Priscus showed himself no less devout. He caused a statue to be made after the pattern of the one at Chartres, and placed it at Longpont, where arose later a celebrated abbey, and whither pilgrimages have ever since continued to be made. Having no child, he bequeathed all his rights and possessions to the Virgin of Chartres. Of these the Druids enjoyed the benefit, and the French chroniclers observe that the bishops who have succeeded them are thus, in fact, the temporal princes also of the city, and that the Holy Virgin is by legal right Lady of Chartres.
It is, however, on entirely different and sufficient grounds for belief that the facts must be placed which relate to the arrival of the illustrious saints, Savinian and Potentian, two of those heroic missioners who were calledbishops of the nations, whom Christian Rome, more eager to make the conquest of the world than pagan Rome had ever been, sent to evangelize heathendom.
When these first preachers of Christianity appeared among the Carnutes, they found them subjugated, indeed, by the Roman arms, but exceptionally rebellious against all endeavors that were used to induce their adoption of the Roman gods; still submissive to the Druids, whom the conquerors persecuted as representing the party of national resistance.
Potentian had associated with him in his labors two faithful disciples, S. Edoald and S. Altinus. Led by the Spirit of God, and knowing the religious belief of the Druids, he repaired at once to the renowned grotto, where he found them assembled, together with a numerous concourse of people; and, adapting to the occasion the words of S. Paul at Athens, he said to them: “This Virgin whom you honor without knowing I am come to make known unto you”; and soon the darkness giving place to light in minds that were predisposed to receive it, a large number of those present begged forthwith for baptism. They werebaptized in the water of the well, the Druidic image received Christian benediction, the altar was consecrated to Mary, and the whole sanctuary dedicated to the true God.
Mention is made of this ceremony in the breviary of Chartres, on the 17th of October.
The new Christian community was not destined to enjoy long peace. Quirinus, the governor of the country under the Emperor Claudius, in obedience to an edict issued by the latter against the Christians, entered the grotto with a company of armed soldiers when the faithful were there assembled, and, seizing S. Potentian, S. Edoald, and S. Altinus, reserved them for more prolonged sufferings, while he caused the rest of the worshippers to be massacred on the spot. Among these was found his own daughter, since honored in the church as S. Modesta. The bodies of the martyrs were thrown into the well of the grotto, which from that time bore the name ofLe puits des Saints Forts.
The governor, being struck with sudden death, was not permitted to carry out his designs against S. Potentian and his companions, who, being set at liberty, proceeded to Sens to continue their labors, leaving S. Aventine at Chartres, of which city he was the first bishop.
Setting aside the improbable legend which relates that the people of Chartres, upon learning that the Blessed Virgin was still living, sent an embassy to Ephesus to convey to her their homage, and pray her to receive the title ofDomina Carnoti, which, according to Guillaume le Breton, she willingly accepted, we hope in a future article to give the eventful history of the erection of the cathedral over the primitive grotto, which in the XIth century grew into the present vast and massive crypt, perhaps the finest in the world.