THEOLOGY SHELF | VISIONS OF MARY: ART, DEVOTION, AND BEAUTY AT CHARTRES CATHEDRAL BY JILL K.H. GEOFFRION

VISIONS OF MARY

Through image and word, author and photographer Jill Geoffrion unfolds the the story of Mary at Chartres on the pages of this book. Geoffrion offers a unique visual and meditative journey through Chartres Cathedral in this newest addition to the Mount Tabor Books series. Showing and explaining the most engaging images of Mary created in this location over the last eight centuries, Jill Geoffrion gently introduces the reader to the depth and breadth of the story of Mary at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres. Included are over seventy-five images of the Virgin of Chartres that have been recently restored as well as works of sculpture, painting and liturgical items. Readers will discover an architectural marvel, a stunning showcase for the most complete twelfth and thirteenth century collection of stained glass in the world, with many images of Mary as Jesus’s mother, based on biblical stories such as the Annunciation, Visitation, Nativity, Presentation at the Temple, and Flight to Egypt.

★★★★☆

In her preface, author Jill Geoffrion writes that the origins of this book stemmed from a project back in 2008, in which she challenged herself to find and photograph all of the 175 pieces of artwork depicting Mary, mother of Jesus, (sculpture, stained glass, carvings, etc.) within France's Chartres Cathedral. In the process of completing this challenge she came to the realization that she knew very little of Mary's story outside of the Annunciation and Nativity stories. She then set out to rectify that. As a mother herself, as well as an ordained minister, Geoffrion wanted to understand how Mary came to hold so much weight, be such a pivotal figure, in numerous branches of Christianity. 

Chartres Cathedral specifically came to have a link to Mary in the year 876, when Emperor Charles the Bald, grandson of Charlemagne, gifted the church the "Mary's Veil" relic.  Charlemagne was said to have received the cloth from Irene, Empress of the Byzantine Empire. It's believed that the cloth originally measured about 7 feet long, but was cut into several pieces, being sent out far and wide, sometime during the French Revolution. 

The piece of cloth was said to be a remnant of the silk head covering Mary wore during the Annunciation and birth of Jesus. The cathedral suffered a devastating fire in the 12th century, but Mary's Veil miraculously survived undamaged. In celebration, an expansion of the original cathedral was begun in 1194, being completed in 1220. For over twelve centuries, this framed swatch of cloth has drawn religious pilgrims through Chartres' doors. At one point, it was said that the cathedral was also in possession of a skull believed to be that of Anne, Mary's mother, but that skull later disappeared, possibly during the French Revolution. 

This is just some of the history Geoffrion delves into throughout this thorough study on the connections between Mary and Chartres. She also mentions a period (lasting several centuries) where Chartres Cathedral served as a school for theology students, offering courses in not only religious studies but also logic, grammar, rhetoric, arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy. 

Within this nonfiction work, Geoffrion supplements her text with STUNNING, full-color --- sometimes even full-page --- photography throughout a good bulk of the book. The majority of the photography are snaps taken by Geoffrion herself. Over several chapters, she offers readers several brilliant close-ups of the mind-boggling detail of the stained glass work and shares the stories behind each scene depicted in these vibrant works of art.

Visions of Mary is a fascinating study of a gorgeous chapel, the book further enhanced with a foreword written by Michel Pansard, Bishop of Chartres. Not only will you learn a lot, but Geoffrion presents it in such a way that this surprisingly makes for quite an easy read, as far as the layout. Rather than being too overwhelmed with history and theology, Geoffrion offers readers the feeling of taking a quiet, pleasant, but moving tour with a friend through one of France's great historical structures. 

FTC DISCLAIMER: Paraclete Press kindly provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The opinions above are entirely my own.