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medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture [log in to unmask] wrote: >There is one in the crypt of Chartres Cathedral...the Puits des Saints Forts.... During the Middle Ages it was the focus of a healing shrine in the crypt.... In its present form, it...is located in the thickness of a wall, but it's difficult to say whether that was the original arrangement.... I've always assumed that this was a related function to healing wells, in general.... ashamed to say, i've never visited the site in the crypte. there *is,* however, a quite remarkable spot in the S.E. corner of the North transept (the site of the creche which is set up every december and just around the corner from the present chapel of N-D du Pilier). standing in this spot, just a foot or so from the wall and facing it one (well, me, anyway) can *feel* a very perceptable rush of energy, perhaps comming from below. very nearly raises the hair on the back of one's neck. i tried to hit this spot most every day when i passed through the church to and from the Archives, and found that just a few feet either way, well, The Thrill is Gone. of course, one also has to contend with the really quite astonishing (but quite typical) Callousness of the present Cult, which, in addition to placing the Creche there every December-January, has seen fit to put an extraordinarily bright, bare light bulb on a tacky literature stand very near by. facing the wall eleminates some --but by no means all-- of this Aid to Enlightenment, though one does feel a bit self-conscious, standing a foot from a wall while facing it, with folks passing by on their way to the choir chapels. these imipediments notwithstanding, it is far and away the most numinous place in the cathedral, that i've come across. i've always been curious: how does this spot correspond with the location of the Puit des S.F., Jim? best from here, christopher ********************************************************************** To join the list, send the message: join medieval-religion YOUR NAME to: [log in to unmask] To send a message to the list, address it to: [log in to unmask] To leave the list, send the message: leave medieval-religion to: [log in to unmask] In order to report problems or to contact the list's owners, write to: [log in to unmask] For further information, visit our web site: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/medieval-religion.html