Rocamadour, a medieval city attached to its cliff, with the splendour of stone illuminated by the lights of the setting sun: it's an image, etched in eternity, that will remain in your memory. This extraordinary village will take you to another time, a time when people came from afar to worship the Black Virgin.
Head for the Lot, more precisely the regional nature park of the Causses de Quercy. Here you are near the Dordogne valley, also near to the celebrated Padirac chasm. A surprise awaits you on a bend in the road. Suddenly, Rocamadour appears.
The city is built in successive stages on the side of the cliff. It looks upon a canyon where the Alzou river flows. Its houses, its roofs and its churches seem to be part of the rock that falls from the Gramat causse (causse: in South West France, a limestone plateau that extends between two valleys).
Which genius imagined and constructed Rocamadour? Your visit might perhaps tell you. Already, in the middle ages, Rocamadour aroused admiration. In the 12th century, pilgrims crossed the whole of Europe to come here to pray as the village contained the remains of Saint-Amadour. It was also the revered sanctuary of the Black Virgin.
One enters the city by the Figuier gate, before taking the rue de la Couronnerie: the only street in Rocamadour, lively, lined with colourful boutiques and beautiful houses.
Then we come to a monumental stairway with 233 steps! It rises to the heart of Rocamadour: a square where there are 8 churches and chapels squeezed up like ancient shelters under the rock. Be sure to visit the Notre-Dame chapel. There you will find the Black Virgin, a small silhouette in black wood, fragile, almost childlike, and yet which emanates an astonishing spiritual force.
You must also stroll around the upper castle. Its romantic silhouette is Rocamadour’s crown. From the top of this lookout point is a breathtaking view over the sacred city, a mixture of audacity and serenity.
All around is the Causses du Quercy Regional Nature Park. A vast territory there to be explored, between paths lined with low walls, woods with small oaks and chasms, small Quercy villages and delightful meetings with the inhabitants.
Keys to discovery
> Rocamadour clinging to its cliff offers you a striking post card view at night, magical and not to be missed. The following day, go down to the centre of the Earth and discover the celebrated Padirac chasm, then follow the famous Dordogne valley.
> At the foot of the city, the Alzou canyon and the Ouysse valley offer wonderful walks.
> Saint-Sauveur church and the Saint-Amadour crypt are UNESCO world heritage sites because of their importance in the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage.
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