Cathedral of the Black Madonna

Druids and the Mysteries of Chartres

Jean Markale

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English

Inner Traditions
27 October 2004

Christian theology; Celtic religion & mythology; Folklore, myths & legends

Explores the connection between ancient druidic worship of a virgin at Chartres and the veneration of the Black Madonna

• Examines the Virgin Mary’s origins in the pagan worship of the Mother Goddess

• Identifies Mary with the dominant solar goddess of matriarchal societies

The great cathedral of Chartres is renowned the world over as a masterpiece of High Gothic architecture and for its remarkable stained glass, considered alchemical glass, and its mystical labyrinth. But the sacred foundations of this sanctuary go back to a time long before Christianity when this site was a clearing where druids worshiped a Virgo Paritura: a virgin about to give birth. This ancient meeting place, where all the druids in Gaul gathered once a year, now houses the magnificent Chartres cathedral dedicated both to the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, and to one of the most venerated Black Madonnas in Europe: Our Lady of the Pillar. Coincidence? Hardly, says Jean Markale, whose exhaustive examination of the site traces Chartres’ roots back to prehistoric times and the appeal of the Black Madonna back to the ancient widespread worship of Mother Goddesses such as Cybele and Isis.

Markale contends that the mother and child depicted by the Black Madonna are descended from the image worshipped by the druids of the Virgin forever giving birth. This image is not merely a representation of maternal love--albeit of a spiritual nature. It is a theological notion of great refinement: the Virgin gives birth ceaselessly to a world, a God, and a humanity in perpetual becoming.

By: Jean Markale
Imprint: Inner Traditions
Country of Publication: United States
Edition: 1st U.S. Ed
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 20mm
Weight: 1g
ISBN: 9781594770203
ISBN 10: 1594770204
Pages: 328
Publication Date: 27 October 2004
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Part One -- The Sites 1 -- The Entrance to the Labyrinth 2 -- The Vibrating Stones 3 -- Chartres over the Course of History Part Two -- The Virgin’s Great Shadow 4 -- The Mother of God 5 -- Worship of the Virgin 6 -- The Black Madonna Part Three -- The Mystery of the Druids 7 -- The Forest of the Carnutes 8 -- Gargantua’s Itinerary 9 -- Our Lady of Under Ground 10 -- The Virgin of the Druids Index

Poet, philosopher, historian and storyteller Jean Markale has spent a lifetime researching pre-Christian and medieval culture and spirituality. He lives in Brittany.

Reviews for Cathedral of the Black Madonna: Druids and the Mysteries of Chartres

. . . author Jean Markale takes us far back to the underlying roots that flowered into the cathedral we see today. --Robert Simmons, MetaGuide Magazines , October 2010