Sunday, October 22, 2017

Rocamadour 9/28/17

Rocamadour is a town built into and UP the hillside in south central France, it looks as though it is just clinging to the hill. It has been a pilgrimage site for many years and there is a complex of churches and chapels that are built into and on the hillside, these are accessed from the lower level of town by way of the Grand Staircase.  Pilgrims of the past would climb these stairs on their knees, praying as they went. Ouch!

The town itself is built on different levels with parking and camping at the bottom of the valley, then the next level up is a street lined with shops and restaurants and two ancient portal gates.  The church complex is the next level above and then there is a series of switchbacks that climb the hill with the Stations of the Cross along the way.  At the very top is the Chateau and you can climb the ramparts for a €2 fee.

A little distance away, L’Hospitalet has some restaurants and the tourist office...and a great view of the buildings of Rocamadour clinging to the side of the cliff.  Google search for images of a Rocamadour, you’ll be blown away by some of them.

You don’t have to be a pilgrim or even religious to enjoy a visit here, though you should definitely take a peek in the Basilica Saint-Sauveur. The back wall of the church is built into the rock.  The Chapel of Notre Dame holds the famous Black Madonna too.

If you’re more interested in legend, look for Durandal, the sword of Roland. Legend says that Roland (nephew of Charlemagne) threw it a great distance to keep it from being captured by the Saracens and it lodged in the wall just above the Chapel of Notre Dame in Rocamadour. There is even a theatrical re-enactment of the story nearby.

The two portal gates are in the lower section of town and some nice medieval houses as well.  The view is great too, you can look down the valley from the upper part of town.  When we were on the ramparts of the chateau there, we saw a couple of huge condor-like birds circling upward on the air currents.



No comments:

Post a Comment