Welcome

The Chartres Pilgrimage is a tradition that reaches back into the depths of history. The pagans there venerated the Virgo Paritura or Virgin giving birth to a God; the Christians took that to be a dim prefiguring of Our Blessed Lady and built successive Churches and then Cathedrals on the site.

The present pilgrimage was revived in 1983 after nearly a century of neglect, and draws a crowd of upwards of 12,000 pilgrims from over 30 countries for three days of prayer and penance. It's a brief opportunity to experience communal Christian life in its fullness, as well as to pray for our own conversion and our neighbours'. 

The Irish Chapter, under the patronage of St Patrick, has taken part since 1998. As well as pilgrims from all over Ireland, we welcome people from other countries who wish to walk with us.