BL stop press Chartres Cathedral

This is interesting very interesting

Orange Labyrinth
The pavement labyrinth at Chartres cathedral is a place of modern pilgrimage. Tourists from all over the world visit the cathedral, more or less well informed. Many of them leave the great gothic building without ever having knowingly set eyes on the pavement labyrinth.

But more interesting is this:
Known as the Book in Stone, many believe the rebuilding of Chartres cathedral after the Great Fire of 1194 was entrusted to the Knights Templar. It is the only Gothic cathedral where the names of the master builders are unknown.

Near the statue of the Queen of Sheba on the north portal of Chartres Cathedral, there is a sculpture showing the Ark of the Covenant being loaded on to a donkey. Underneath is the inscription: Hic amititur archa cederis. The Latin does not make sense. A more plausible text reads: Hic amicitur archa foederis, meaning: Here is hidden the Ark of the Covenant.

The original statue of Our Lady of the Crypt at Chartres Cathedral dated from the 11th or 12th century. It was burnt in December 1793 during the French Revolution. The present statue is a copy based on engravings or copies of the original.

At the centre of the labyrinth laid in the floor of Chartres Cathedral, the visitor can still see the marks of the bolts that fixed an inscribed copper plate to the stone. The plate was removed in 1792 and melted down. Contemporary records from eye witnesses state that it showed Theseus, Ariadne and the Minotaur, all characters from Greek legend.

This is a very convincing templars link... look at my post on the templars connection

Can you tell me the exact measurements of the Chartres labyrinth?

I have measured the labyrinth several times. In reading the books of John James, who has studied the cathedral in great detail, I find that our measurements coincide quite well. For some reason, in the literature about Chartres, there are a number of measurements that are not accurate. I can't explain why. In more than one instance people have said that the labyrinth is oval shaped and not round, but that is probably due to looking at the photo that was taken from above, but at a slight angle. Here are the measurements that I use. These are all averages, as there is some variation within the labyrinth itself. There is also the matter of mortar between the stones. What do we do with that? For the most part, we have averaged it out.

Diameter from tip of lunation to tip of lunation: 42' 3 3/8" -- 12.885 meters
Diameter to outside of 12th circle (no lunation): 40' 4 5/8" -- 12.455 meters
Diameter of center circle (to the outside of the line): 10' 1 1/4" -- 3,144 mm
Diameter of the petal (to outside of the line): 40 1/8" -- 1,038 mm
Path width: 13 5/8" to 13 3/4" -- 353.4 mm in theory, 347 mm actual
Line width: Varies from 3" to 3 1/4" -- 77 mm
Lunation circles (inside diameter): 11"to- 11 1/4"
Lunation total width: 13 3/4" -- 353.4 in theory, 351 actual
Height of the tooth, including the 12th circle: 11 1/8" to 11 1/4"
Length of path: 858' -- 261.55 meters

These measurements can also be closely rounded to form proportions that are good for any size labyrinth. Note that the center is almost exactly one-fourth the diameter of the labyrinth, for example, and the petals are one-third the diameter of the center. If the measurements aren't exact, please realize that the mortar measures from 1/4" to 1/2" in most places, but as much as 3/4" to 1" in a few instances. Adjusting for the mortar one could subtract a little from one number and add more to the corresponding number. Hence, there is quite a bit of leeway possible.