Which French cathedral has a famous labyrinth set into its floor?

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Chartres Cathedral has a famous labyrinth set into its floor.

The labyrinth is located in the nave and consists of a circular pattern of stone bands. It dates from the early thirteenth century, when the Gothic cathedral was being rebuilt after a major fire in 1194. The path winds toward a central rosette and is one of the best-known surviving medieval church labyrinths.

Its exact medieval use is not fully documented. Modern visitors sometimes describe it as a pilgrimage route or a symbolic spiritual journey, but historians caution against presenting one simple interpretation as certain. The labyrinth is also not a maze: it has a single winding route rather than branching dead ends.

Chartres Cathedral is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and is renowned for its stained glass, much of which survives from the medieval period. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Sept. 2026

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