Chartres Pilgrimage

7–9th june, 2025
the maltese chapter

Chartres has been a place of pilgrimage even before the construction of its Gothic cathedral, and by the end of the 12th century, it became one of the most popular pilgrimage destinations in Europe. In 876 the cathedral acquired the Sancta Camisa, believed to be the tunic worn by Mary at the time of Christ’s birth. According to legend, the relic was given to the cathedral by Charlemagne who received it as a gift from Emperor Constantine vi during a crusade to Jerusalem. Today, Our Lady’s Veil is kept in a golden reliquary beside the high altar.

The Chartres Pilgrimage is a three-day walk from Notre-Dame de Paris to Notre-Dame de Chartres, approximately 60 miles. Pilgrims are organised into groups of 20-60 people, that are referred to as chapters. The walk is through the streets of Paris, and then into the countryside. It can be muddy, rocky, and demanding, but the rewards of such a penitential exercise are eternal. Good sturdy shoes are a must. Each chapter is accompanied by at least one chaplain, who hears confession and gives spiritual direction to each pilgrim who avails himself of the priest’s presence. This pilgrimage originated in the 12th century, with interruptions for the various wars our European brethren seem to find themselves in from time to time.

Ever since the fire of Notre-Dame de Paris in 2019, the Pilgrimage has instead started from the nearby church of Saint-Sulpice. This year, the Pilgrimage will also be starting from Saint-Suplice, we shall gather there at 6 a.m. on the 7th of June, 2025, and the journey of faith and foot will begin.

About the Pilgrimage

The Chartres Pilgrimage occurs every year on the Feast of Pentecost in early summer, and is a multi-generational, multi-national gathering of Catholics who draw closer to God through the centuries-old act of pilgrimage. In its current form, the Pilgrimage is organised by Association Notre-Dame de Chrétienté, and below are the prices to attend.

Naturally the sooner you are certain you wish to attend, the sooner we encourage you to let us know, so that we can have a good idea of the size of our chapter.

The Pilgrimage will begin the morning of Saturday, 7th of June, the Vigil of Pentecost, and conclude the afternoon of Monday, 9th of June, Pentecost Monday. There will be Solemn Mass each day in the Traditional Roman Rite (see also here and here). Here is a video of last year’s Pilgrimage:

The walking route covers approximately 60 miles (100 km) over 3 days. Those who join us will have the opportunity to sing and pray in English, Maltese, French, and Latin. On the way of the Pilgrimage route, the French have the venerable custom of singing the Rosary in French. There will be prayer and fellowship, with over 20,000 pilgrims making the journey together with participants from many countries.

The Maltese Chapter

Our chapter is intended primarily to cater for Maltese nationals who are interested in attending the Pilgrimage, especially those who form part of a Traditional community, but we are open to anyone who wishes to join us. It has existed since 2020, its official name is: “St Paul, Apostle of the Gentiles,” after the apostle Paul who first evangelised the island in ad 60:

“Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta. The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold. Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, “This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live.” But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead; but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.”
(Acts 28:1–6)

Tradition, together with an unbroken succession of bishops since St Publius, ordained bishop by Paul himself, tells us that Malta has been Catholic ever since St Paul’s shipwreck. In recent times it is increasingly difficult to recognise truly devout Catholicism in Malta: as we walk towards Chartres, we must pray for the reconversion of our countrymen back home, to the one true faith.

We communicate chiefly through a WhatsApp group chat, which you can join by clicking the button below on your phone:

If you do not have WhatsApp and you are interested in attending the Pilgrimage, please reach out to me (Luke) via email on luke (at) collins (dot) mt.

Necessary Equipment

Make sure to wear good walking shoes, and have a change of socks each day. You should bring a small backpack to be carried throughout the Pilgrimage, containing:

• Food: lunch for the day and energy-giving snacks (dried fruit, salty nuts, etc.)
• Waterproof raingear (heavy rain possible!)
• Pullover
• Water bottle (water is supplied) and knife/fork/spoon
• Cup for tea/coffee/soup (contents supplied, bring tea bags if you want tea)
• Hat and sunscreen, to protect against the sun (Highly recommended, I got quite burnt last year!)
• Latin mass booklet and propers—we will provide Latin/English booklets for the chapter with the mass propers, as well as songs and meditations
• Plasters and general simple medication (for blisters, headaches, dehydration etc.)
• Rosary

As well as a larger bag which will be placed in a lorry every morning and driven to the corresponding camp sites every evening, containing:

• Food reserves (for remaining meals)
• Torch
• Warm jumper/garment (cold early mornings)
• Change of clothing (a pullover, shirts, trousers, pants, vests, socks)
• Light shoes for the evening (good boots recommended for the walk)
• Toiletries
• Night-clothes
• Warm sleeping bag
• Mat for sleeping bag (the provided tents do not have ground sheets).

Food during the Pilgrimage

The organisers provide bread and water at each stop during the walk and at the evening campsite. At the campsite, hot soup is available in the evenings and breakfast (coffee, hot chocolate, bread & jam) is available in the mornings.

Pilgrims should, however, bring their own food with them, enough for three cold picnic lunches and to supplement the evening soup. These should be prepared before the walk, as there are very few opportunities to buy anything during the Pilgrimage.

Assistance during the Pilgrimage

Permanent medical assistance is available from the doctors of the Order of Malta, who have an outdoor hospital at each campsite.

Throughout the walk, shuttle buses provide transport between the several stops, for pilgrims who can no longer walk.

The evening Campsites

The campsite (‘bivouac’) will be equipped with wash-basins (cold running water only), toilets, electricity supply, and some collective tents. The tents are single sex, and we will have spaces allocated for each pilgrim in the collective tents.

On arrival at the campsite, pilgrims retrieve their large bags, and make their way to the “etrangers” (Foreigners) area where the collective tents will be waiting and where there is space to set up their personal tents.

Luggage

Pilgrims may leave their heavy luggage with the special Pilgrimage lorries’ teams as soon as they arrive at Saint-Sulpice in Paris on the Saturday morning. There will be a lorry marked “etrangers”. The luggage will be transported by these special lorries to the evening campsite where they can be retrieved under a large sign marked “etrangers”. Pilgrims should not forget to label their bags with their names and contact details and to attach red & black ribbons to them to identify them as “etrangers”. They are also advised to label all belongings with their name and address.

Travel Arrangements

There is no organised group travel plan for the chapter, since several people will be joining from different places, chiefly from Malta and the UK. We highly suggest you travel on the 6th of June and spend the night in Paris, since we need to meet early in the morning in front of Saint-Sulpice Church, which is in the iv^e arrondissement of Paris, i.e., in the very centre.

Travelling from Malta

If you plan to come from Malta, the most straightworward way is to fly to Paris, either to Charles de Gaulle Airport, or Orly Airport. You can find good prices for flights on websites such as SkyScanner—at the time of writing, a Malta → Paris round-trip costs around eur 100.

Travelling from the UK

If you plan to come from the UK, you have several options. Especially if you live close to London, the easiest (but priciest) way to get to Paris is via the Eurostar train, which at the time of writing costs around gbp 80 each way. The obvious advantage of taking the Eurostar is that you leave from central London (St Pancras’) and arrive straight in the centre of Paris (Gare du Nord).

At face value it is cheaper to fly, but keep in mind that you will also have to pay for trains (around gbp 12) or busses (around gbp 5) to and from the airports, which might make the Eurostar the best option after all. At the time of writing you can find London → Paris flights on SkyScanner for around gbp 50 each way.

If you are strapped for cash, there is also the option to catch an overnight bus from London to Paris, which at the time of writing costs around gbp 33 each way from FlixBus.

Accommodation in Paris

For the Friday night just before the Pilgrimage, just as with the travel, we do not organise one large booking as a group. There are several (relatively) cheap hotels in Paris, such as the Ibis hotels. Usually we split into groups, sharing an Airbnb for the night, or a few twin rooms in an Ibis hotel. Check on Booking.com and Airbnb to see what you can find, but be sure to communicate with people in the WhatsApp chat if you haven’t found a group yet!

It’s not essential that you book somewhere very close to Saint-Sulpice, as long as you are close to a Metro station (ideally a line 4 station since that’s the one for Saint-Sulpice). Make sure you can arrive there by 6 am.

At the End of the Pilgrimage

In previous years the organisers provided a train ticket back to Paris at the end of the Pilgrimage in the late afternoon, but this year they haven’t been able to do so due to the sheer number of pilgrims. Luckily, unlike the UK, trains in France are not very expensive, at the time of writing a Chartres → Paris train is around gbp 15 from Trainline. If you plan to go back to Paris on the same day as the Pilgrimage ends (9th June), especially if you’re flying, I encourage you to book the train as soon as possible. Book the ticket for after 18.00, to allow enough time to pick up your luggage after mass.

Register to Attend

Unfortunately registration has now closed. Please check back next year if you are interested in attending the Pilgrimage as part of our chapter!

Further Questions

If you have any further questions about the Pilgrimage, please feel free to reach out to myself or Abbé Zak over WhatsApp, or email me on luke (at) collins (dot) mt.