Closed since mid-March, the gates of Charttres Cathedral reopened this Thursday, May 14, 2020. The monument is accessible every afternoon, from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m., but only to the faithful who wish to come and pray or to collect oneself (see also our edition of yesterday). Tourists will wait.
Chartres Cathedral reopens this Thursday under conditions
Mask on the face, Laurent, who lives in Chartres, was among the first to have set foot on the cathedral floor yesterday after having waited a few minutes outside.
Dropper
“For the past three years, I have been in the habit of saying my rosary every day in front of Our Lady of the Pillar. During the confinement, I had to do it at home. I prefer to come to the cathedral. It’s more solemn than in my office! “, Confides the retiree.
A first bagpipe tune in front of Chartres Cathedral for the deconfinement
Before entering the building, you have to show your white leg. The steward of the cathedral and a volunteer ensure that the faithful disinfect their hands. A bottle of hydroalcoholic gel is placed on a table, installed on the forecourt. Wearing a mask is also compulsory.
No more than ten people at the same time
The entries are made drop by drop: no more than ten people at the same time. Inside, the central aisle is cut by red and white markers to prevent visitors from crossing paths.
“It creates a sense of traffic. People enter and exit through separate doors. We ask them not to stay more than twenty minutes, ”explains Gilles Fresson, attaché for coordination at the rectorate of the cathedral.
Aunt Léonie’s house in Illiers-Combray will reopen this Friday
Those who sit down are asked to place a small piece of paper on their chair, which was given to them at the entrance.
Jean and Geneviève, from Saint-Germain-en-Laye, took advantage of a day’s visit to Chartres to come and meditate in the cathedral: “This reminds us of the time when we made the pilgrimage of students. It was almost sixty years ago. ”
Helene bonnet
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