What was the original name of the labyrinth?
The lack of surviving documents contemporary with the construction and original use of the Chartres labyrinth means that we simply don’t know. However, drawing parallels with other, better documented labyrinths in French cathedrals and manuscripts of the time, it would be fair to assume that it was known at the time of its construction as the “Domus Daedali” (House of Daedalus), a popular title equating the intricacy of these labyrinths in the cathedrals - the “Domus Dei” - with the work of Daedalus, the master builder of antiquity and designer of the ‘original’ labyrinth. In the mid-1600’s it is again described as a “Dédale,” and during the 18th century was popularly known as “la lieue”- possibly in reference to the old Gaulish measure of a league of 1500 paces, a very rough estimate of the number of steps taken to traverse the labyrinth. By the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the writings of antiquarians had popularised the naming of the cathedral labyrinths, including the example at Chartres, as “chemin de Jérusalem” (road to Jerusalem), a term that may well date back to the 17th century, but is not documented prior to this time (Wright, 2001).