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Origin and history

The Religious City of Rocamadour, also known as the Notre Dame Shrine, is a Marian architectural complex built on the cliffside in the Alzou Canyon, on the town of Rocamadour in the Lot. As early as 1105, Pope Pascal II mentioned the pilgrimage to Our Lady of Rocamadour, which then became one of the four major holy places of Christendom, alongside Rome, Santiago de Compostela and Jerusalem. This site, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is an exceptional testimony of medieval devotion and European pilgrimages.

In the 12th century, under the impulse of Géraud d'Escorailles, abbot of Saint-Martin-de-Tulle, the sanctuary was enlarged to accommodate the influx of pilgrims. In 1166, the discovery of an intact body, attributed to Saint Amadour, strengthened his attractiveness. Miracles multiply: 126 are recorded as early as 1172. Personalities such as Henry II Plantagenet (1152), Saint Louis and Blanche de Castille (1244) went there. However, the wars of Religion in the sixteenth century ravaged the site: the Huguenots looted and burned the sanctuary in 1562, destroying the relics of Saint Amadour.

After a decline in the 17th and 18th centuries, the Religious City was restored from 1842 under the direction of Abbé Chevalt, on the initiative of the bishops of Cahors. The works, carried out without control of the Historical Monuments, profoundly transformed the site: reconstruction of the Abbatial Palace, development of the court, and construction of the chapel Saint-Jean-Baptiste. The sanctuary, which includes a basilica, a crypt and seven chapels (one dedicated to a 12th century black Virgin), then regains its radiance. In 1936 Francis Poulenc composed the Litanias to the Black Virgin in his honour.

The Religious City is structured around a monumental staircase of 216 steps, the "Holy Way", which pilgrims once climbed on their knees. The courtyard, the heart of the sanctuary, gives access to the chapels on two levels. Among them, the chapel Saint-Michel, semi-troglodyte, preserves frescoes of the 12th and 13th centuries, while the chapel Saint-Louis, restored in 2011, celebrates rugby, an iconic sport of Quercy. The site, protected as historical monuments, embodies both the medieval spiritual heritage and the 19th century restorations.

Historical sources, such as the works of Ernest Rupin or Edmond Albe, underline the importance of Rocamadour in European religious history. The Miracles of Notre-Dame de Rocamadour (XII century) and the Royal Gifts (Henri II, Saint Louis) bear witness to his prestige. Today, the sanctuary remains an active place of pilgrimage, mixing architectural heritage, sacred art and living traditions, as the Great Forgiveness celebrated during the jubilary years.

Future

The Basilica of Saint-Sauveur and the crypt of Saint-Amadour are among the 71 monuments as well as 7 portions of paths that have been inscribed since 1998 on the UNESCO World Heritage List under the official title of "Chemins de Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle in France".

The Religious City was at the edge of one of the 4 classical routes (Via Turonensis, Via Lemovicensis, Via Podiensis and Via Tolosana). The pilgrims therefore had to make a detour to visit it.

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