"Listen to me, you that pursue righteousness,
you that seek the LORD.
            Look to the rock from which you were hewn,
                        and to the quarry from which you were dug."
Isaiah 51:1 (NRSV)

The modern working quarry

In 2006 when I asked a man in Berchères-les Pierres how to get to the quarry (les carrières), he looked at me as if I was crazy. "But there is nothing there!" he told me.

"I just want to look." I responded.

He was basically right, there isn't much to see in the modern working quarry, but I later discovered that there is a lot to see at the older quarry that served the builders of the thirteenth century cathedal. There is now a local organization, Berche-Pierres that is working to make the quarry and a walking path through it available to the public.

For more information contact Berch-Pierres http://www.berchereslespierres.fr/fr/association/1/3629 06 13 04 63 96. They would be happy to assist pilgrims who visit Chartres and would like to see the quarry. "Nous les recevrons avec plaisir."

(They are also looking for new members. An annual donation of fifteen euros insures that you can receive all their mailings and be a part of the ongoing restoration of the quarry and construction of walking paths. Mail checks to Berch-Pierres, 28630 Bechères-les-Pierres FRANCE. Inquiries can be directed to the treasurer, Monsieur Guy Marie: guymarie@yahoo.fr. or 07 70 59 67 86)

President, Berch-Pierres, M. François Bonny
explaining about the limestone at the quarry

Walking To Berchères from Chartres

In France it is legal to walk on the dividers between crops. You are obviously not allowed to enter any planted areas.

The Chemin des Carrières

Two IGN maps will help you to choose your route.(They each cost 8 Euros in 2008.) You can buy these "cartes bleu" maps at most any bookstore in France. Most useful is the one for Sours (2117 0). You may also want the one for Chartres (2116 0). The tourist office can help you locate a bookstore in Chartres where you can find them.

In 2008 we decided to take the "route des pierres" (the way of the stones which was used in the middle ages) which begins on a field road out of Bechères heading towards to Gellainville. From there we walked along the road D-339-7 to Le Coudray where we picked up the walking path that is beside the Eure River. Some have told us they find this route a bit harrowing because of the need to walk on the shoulder of a busy road. Berch-Pierres has been working on an alternative and more historically accurate route (map taken from Agglo, June 2011).

While walking between Berchères-les-Pierres and Chartres, you also walk on part of the Chemin St. Jacques (the Camino) which leads between Chartres and Compostela, Spain. There are shell markers which indicate this connection.

Transportation to and from Berchères-les-Pierres

You can take a bus between Chartres and Berchères-les-Pierres on Mondays through Saturdays. Service is limited. There are no busses on Sundays. You can check on schedules and buy tickets at the bus station in Chartres. It is next to the train station (on the left if you are facing the station). If you take the bus to Berchères-les-Pierres, it is about a fifteen minute walk from the bus station to the quarry.

Maybe you will want to walk one way and take the bus the other.

Taxi service is available from the Chartres train station to Berchères.

When we have visited the quarry with a larger group, we rented a local bus to take us there.

Hospitality in Berchères-les-Pierres

The people of Berchères-les-Pierres have been incredibly hospitable to us and the pilgrims we have brought to the quarry. The mayor's office first put me in touch with François Bonny who has spearheaded efforts to make the quarry more accessible to the public. He met us at the quarry. After a visit and a wonderful time of hearing his vision, he walked with us into town introduced us to his parents whose farm we passed on the walk to Chartres.

The Berch-Pierres committee has invited us to visit their workdays, and when we brought an international group of pilgrims back in 2011, thirteen members welcomed us at both the quarry and the town, where the oldest member of the community gave us a tour of the twelfth-century church. She even
sang with us!

Click here to see a photo gallery of the gracious welcomes we have experienced.

The Quarry that served the builders of the cathedral

To get to the quarry, take rue des Carrières out of town about 1 kilometer. You will enter into a wooded area. After about 200 meters you will see a moto-cross track on your right. That's where the stones for the cathedral came from. On your left will be a small service road. It is clearly marked as private property. You will need permission to enter the quarry. Contact Berch-Pierres to arrange a time to visit.

Berch-Pierres http://www.berchereslespierres.fr/fr/association/1/3629 06 13 04 63 96

You can also contact the Mayor's Office for more information:
BERCHERES-LES-PIERRES
Mairie - 17 Rue Mairie
28630 Berchères-les-Pierres, FRANCE
Tél. : 0237260208
Fax : 0237260988
E-mail : bureau@mc-bercheres.com

Visting the quarry area

It is thrilling to be in the area where stone was extracted for the cathedral. To see photos of quarry visits, click here.

Ritual of Blessing Before Walking from Berchères-les-Pierres to the Chartres Cathedral

Stand with one other pilgrim. Bend down and make a cross on each of her/his feet, saying, "May you walk toward God, may you walk with God.

Then, receive the same blessing from the other pilgrim.

The Pilgrimage from Berchères-les-Pierres to Chartres Cathedral

Walking from the quarry to the Chartres Cathedral requires a sturdy pair of shoes, water, and perseverance. If your health allows, it can be a very meaningful few hours as you watch the cathedral come and go on the horizon. Click here for a photo gallery of various group pilgrimages.

Imagining, Reflecting, Praying...

As you return to Chartres from the quarry, imagine yourself as a stone, stone-carrier, or someone or something else involved in transporting the large stones to the cathedral site. Allow you imagination and prayer to carry you into a deeper relationship with the cathedral and those who built it.

After your pilgrimage to the quarry, meditate on the scriptural passage found in 1 Peter 2:4-7a (NRSV)

"Come to [Christ], a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in scripture:
“See, I am laying in Zion a stone,
a cornerstone chosen and precious;
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
7 To you then who believe, he is precious..."

Suggestions for Future Pilgrims

Pilgrims at the quarry

If you are aware of any information that would be helpful to future pilgrims, please email me.
I would like to make visits to the quarry as meaningful and easy as possible for anyone who wants to go. Thanks!