“Not all those who wander are lost” ~ J.R.R. Tolkien
St. Paul’s Labyrinth
A labyrinth is a circuitous and sometimes complex path that one walks from an entrance to the center, then back again. The path of a labyrinth is like the path of life – with twists and turns, feelings of being lost, encounters with others in your path, a thrill of pleasure as you approach the center and sometimes a flash of insight before you leave. Labyrinths are used world-wide as locations to quiet the mind, calm anxieties, recover balance in life, enhance creativity, and encourage meditation, insight, self-reflection and stress reduction. Walking a labyrinth allows integration of body, mind and spirit, giving time to meditate on one’s journey with God. The St. Paul’s Labyrinth is currently under construction but will be reopened and dedicated on Sunday, November 16th immediately following the 10:30 AM service. A small reception will be held after the dedication.
The St. Paul’s Labyrinth is being refurbished and refreshed to allow it to be a more permanent, accessible, and easily maintained prayer and meditation space on our beautiful Chester County campus. Utilizing one of the most revered designs originally created in 1200 AD for the priests of Our Lady de Chartres in France, the St. Paul’s Labyrinth will feature wider walkways of red and gray paver stones, designated meditation spots with cedar benches, and permanent landscaping that will be installed when the weather warms in Spring 2026. Information on using the St. Paul’s Labyrinth for meditation and prayer will be available on a QR code accessible link to this website. Once opened, the Labyrinth will be available all day, every day, year-round, weather permitting.
The labyrinth is perhaps one of the oldest, and certainly one of the most mysterious symbols known to mankind. It has been looked upon as an object of fear and hope. It has been perceived as a representation of hell and redemption, and it has even been used to symbolize far off lands and cities. Labyrinths and Mazes have a history that can be traced back some 4000 years. The earliest examples of labyrinths found carved on rocks all have the same design – unicursal paths designed to lead the user without offering choices to the goal. This design was taken by the Romans and new forms were created for use on mosaic floors. Further developed during medieval times, the labyrinth design then appeared on the floors of churches and cathedrals in Europe, on village greens and hilltops, on remote coastlines and islands in Scandinavia, up to the Arctic Circle and beyond. The labyrinth symbol also may be found throughout India, as far away as Sumatra and Java and in the American Southwest, although many questions remain as to when it first appeared and how it spread to many of these regions. During the late medieval period, the labyrinth design was adapted further into the familiar puzzle mazes of tangled hedges in parks and gardens that we know today. Labyrinths became popular again in the 19th century, but it was not until the late 20th century that labyrinths and mazes found new acceptance. Now in the 21st century, they are more popular than at any time throughout their history.
Design of the Chartres Labyrinth
You enter the labyrinth and follow the path as it winds its way toward the center. You pause in the center as you like, then turn and exit the labyrinth on the same path you came in, just going the opposite direction. A labyrinth is used for walking meditation. It is a single winding path from the outer edge in a circuitous way to the center. Labyrinths are used world-wide as a way to quiet the mind, calm anxieties, recover balance in life, enhance creativity and encourage meditation, insight, self-reflection and stress reduction.
How do you prepare to walk a labyrinth?
Consider a contemplative question, prayer, or favorite image to hold in your mind before you step into the labyrinth and begin walking. While walking. Just follow the path. As you concentrate on your steps, everything else can melt away.
The three R’s of walking a labyrinth are Releasing, Receiving and Returning/or Reflection.
What type of prayer is a labyrinth?
Praying with a labyrinth is a form of walking meditation, a physical expression of the interior journey towards Christ that characterizes all Christian meditation.
