Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The chapel of Notre-Dame-des-Cyclistes, originally called the chapel of Géou, was built at the end of the 11th century on the remains of a Gallo-Roman villa. It became a parish church around 1270 and was part of a Templar fortress, of which only its walls remain today. The castle of Géou, associated with this fortress, was destroyed in 1355 by the Black Prince. The chapel, long abandoned, was restored to become a place of worship dedicated to cyclists.

In August 1958, Father Joseph Massie, blocked by the rain, celebrated an improvised mass in the chapel. At the exit, he had the idea to dedicate it to cyclists, inspired by the Madonna del Ghisallo in Italy. On May 18, 1959, Pope John XXIII officially consecrated her as the National Sanctuary of Cyclism, placed under the protection of the Virgin. Since then, a Mass has been celebrated every Monday of Pentecost.

The chapel houses a cycling museum, where champions' jerseys (Darrigade, Anquetil, Merckx, Hinault...) and iconic objects, such as the bicycle of the film Les Cracks (1968). A modern window, designed by former runner Henry Anglade, now adorns the building. The Tour de France passed five times (1984, 1989, 1995, 2000, 2023), with a start in 1989.

The site, listed as a historical monument in 1996 and classified for its picturesque interest in 1980, symbolizes the link between religious heritage and cycling culture. The abbé Massie, a passionate cyclist, had himself crossed the Alps by bike in 1958 to bring back the flame of Madonna del Ghisallo, reinforcing this transalpine link.

The chapel is part of a tradition of sports shrines in the Landes, alongside Notre-Dame-de-la-Course-Landaise and Notre-Dame-du-Rugby. Its history thus combines medieval heritage, Marian devotion and passion for cycling, attracting pilgrims and cycling enthusiasts from all over the world.

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