Rocamadour(French pronunciation:[ʁɔkamaduʁ];RocamadorinOccitan) is acommunein theLotdepartmentin southwesternFrance.It lies in theformer provinceofQuercy.It is a member ofLes Plus Beaux Villages de France(The Most Beautiful Villages of France) Association.
Rocamadour
Rocamador(Occitan) | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Coat of arms | |
Location of Rocamadour  | |
  Rocamadour  Rocamadour | |
| Coordinates:44°48′01″N1°37′07″E/ 44.8003°N 1.6186°E | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Occitania |
| Department | Lot |
| Arrondissement | Gourdon |
| Canton | Gramat |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2020–2026) | Dominique Lenfant[1] |
| Area 1 | 49.42 km2(19.08 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[2] | 611 |
| • Density | 12/km2(32/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00(CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00(CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 46240/46500 |
| Elevation | 110–364 m (361–1,194 ft) (avg. 279 m or 915 ft) |
| 1French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2(0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Rocamadour[3]has attracted visitors for its setting in a gorge above a tributary of theRiver Dordogneand especially for its historical monuments and its sanctuary of theBlessed Virgin Mary,which for centuries, dating back to the turn of the 12th century, has attracted historical and anonymouspilgrimsfrom many countries, among them kings, bishops and nobles (includingHenry II of England,Simon de Montfort,Blanche of CastileandSaint Louis IX of France,Saint DominicandSaint Bernard of Clairvaux,among other illustrious figures).[4]
The town below the complex of monastic buildings andpilgrimage churches,traditionally dependent on the pilgrimage site and now on the tourist trade, lies near the river on the lowest slopes; it gives its name toRocamadour,a smallgoat's-milkcheesethat was awardedAOCstatus in 1996.
Geography
editLocation and access
editRocamadour is located in the Lot department in the far north of the Occitanie region. Close to Périgord and the Dordogne valley, Rocamadour is at the heart of theParc naturel régional des Causses du Quercy,a regional nature park. Rocamadour is located 36 km NNE ofCahorsby road, on the right bank of theAlzou.
Rocamadour can be reached by car from theA20 autoroute,or by train:Gare de Rocamadour-Padiracon theBrive-la-Gaillarde–Toulouse (via Capdenac) railway.
Rocamadour is served by two regional airports that provide easy access to the Dordogne Valley. The Aéroport Brive Vallée de la Dordogne (BVE) is located only a few kilometres from many of the region's star attractions whilst the Aéroport Bergerac Dordogne Périgord (EGC) is situated just 6 km south of Bergerac.
Hamlets
editThe territory of the commune of Rocamadour includes several hamlets: L'Hospitalet, Les Alix, Blanat, Mas de Douze, Fouysselaze, Magès, La Fage, La Gardelle, Chez Langle, La Vitalie, Mayrinhac-le-Francal.
Toponymy
editThe ancient forms of Rocamadour areRocamadorfrom 968,Rupis Amatorisin 1186[clarify].According toDauzat,the toponym comes from the name of a saint,Amator.[5]: 569
According to Gaston Bazalgues, the toponym Rocamadour is a medieval form which originates fromRocamajor.Rocapointed to a rock shelter andmajorspoke of its importance. This name would have been Christianized from 1166 with the invention of the false hagiotoponym Saint Amadour or Saint Amateur. In 1473, according to the monograph of Edmond Albe, the place was named the castling of Saint Amadour. In 1618, on a map of the diocese of Cahors by Jean Tarde, the name of Roquemadour appeared.[6]: 119
The locality L'Hospitalet, overlooking Rocamadour, has a name fromespitaletwhich meant small hospital and has Latin originhospitalis.This reception centre was founded in 1095 by Dame Hélène de Castelnau.[6]
Sights
edit
Rocamadour was a dependency of theabbey of Tulleto the north in theBas Limousin.The buildings of Rocamadour (fromròca,cliff andsaint Amador[dubious–discuss]) rise in stages up the side of a cliff on the right bank of the Alzou, which runs between rocky walls 120 metres (390 ft) in height.
Flights of steps ascend from the lower town to the churches, a group of massive buildings half-way up the cliff. The chief of them is the pilgrimage church of Notre Dame (rebuilt in its present configuration from 1479), containing thecult imageat the centre of the site, a woodenBlack Madonnareputed to have been carved bySaint Amator(Amadour) himself. The smallBenedictinecommunity continued to use the small twelfth-century church of Saint-Michel, above and to the side.
Below, the pilgrimage church opens onto a terrace where pilgrims could assemble, called the Plateau of St Michel. In the cliff face above, a sword was wedged into a crevice and secured by a chain. According to local legend it was a copy ofDurandal,the sword wielded by the heroRoland,which he hurled from him after theBattle of Roncevaux Passto prevent its falling into the hands of theSaracens,and which came to rest in Rocamadour. The sword was reported stolen from the cliff face in June 2024.[7][8]
The interior walls of the church of St Sauveur are covered with paintings and inscriptions recalling the pilgrimages of celebrated people. The subterranean church of St Amadour (1166) extends beneath St Sauveur and contains relics of the saint. On the summit of the cliff stands the château built in the Middle Ages to defend the sanctuaries.
History
edit
Prehistory
editRocamadour and its many caves already housed people in thePaleolithicas shown in the cave drawings of theGrotte des Merveilles.TheGrotte de Linarscave and its porch served as an undergroundnecropolisand a habitat in theBronze Age.The vestiges are deposited in the museum atCabreretsand at the town hall in Rocamadour.
During theIron Age,theCadurquespeople arrived from middle Germany. In the eighth century BC., they colonised the currentLotdepartment, using their iron weapons. The remains of a village, in the Salvate valley nearCouzou,were found during work. Anoppidumperched on the heights of the Alzou valley, downstream from Tournefeuille, is perhaps linked to the fight of the Gauls against the Roman troops during the Gallic war.[9]
Middle Ages
editOrigins and influence
editThe three levels of the village of Rocamadour date from the Middle Ages and reflect the three orders of medieval society: the knights above, linked to religious clerics in the middle and the lay workers down near the river.
Documents mention that in 1105 a small chapel was built in a shelter of the cliff at a place calledRupis Amatoris,at the limit of the territories of theBenedictineabbeys of Saint-Martin atTulleand Saint-Pierre atMarcilhac-sur-Célé.
In 1112, Eble de Turenne, Abbot of Tulle settled in Rocamadour. In 1119, the first donation was made by Eudes, Comte de la Marche. In 1148, a firstmiraclewas announced. The location began to attract pilgrims to theVirgin Mary.The 12th-century bookLivre des Miracleswritten by a monk from the sanctuary illustrates that Rocamadour had already become famous as a place of pilgrimage.[10]In 1159,Henry II of England,husband ofEleanor of Aquitaine,came to Rocamadour to thank the Virgin for her healing. The statue of the Black Madonna dates from the 12th century. Géraud d'Escorailles (abbot from 1152 to 1188) built the religious buildings, financed by donations from visitors. The works were finished at the end of the 12th century.
In 1166, excavation for a grave in front of the entrance to the chapel of the Virgin uncovered an intact body, presented as that ofSaint Amadour.Rocamadour had found its saint. At least four stories, more or less tinged with legend, presented Saint Amadour as being close toJesus.(The body was burned during theFrench Wars of Religionand today only fragments of bone remain, on view in the crypt of Saint-Amadour.)
In 1211, thepontifical legateduring theAlbigensian Crusade,Arnaud Amalric,came to spend the winter in Rocamadour. In addition, in 1291,Pope Nicholas IVgranted threebullsand forty dayindulgencesfor site visitors. The end of the 13th century saw the height of Rocamadour's influence and the completion of the buildings. The castle was protected by three towers, a wide moat and numerous lookouts.[9]
Decline
edit
In 1317, the monks left Rocamadour. The site was then administered by a chapter of canons appointed by the bishop. In the fourteenth century, a cooling climate,famines,epidemics like theBlack Deathravaged Europe.
In 1427, reconstruction was started, but without financial or human resources. A huge rock crushed the Notre-Dame chapel which was rebuilt in 1479 by Denys de Bar, Bishop of Tulle.[11]
Subsequently, during theFrench Wars of Religion,the iconoclastic passage of Protestant mercenaries in 1562 caused the destruction of religious buildings and their relics.[12]The canons describe, in a petition toPope Pius IVin 1563, the damage caused: "They have, oh pain! all trashed; they burned and looted its statues and paintings, its bells, its ornaments and jewels, all that was necessary for divine worship...". The relics were desecrated and destroyed, including the body of Saint Amadour. According to witnesses, the Protestant Captain Jean Bessonia broke it with the smith's hammer, saying: "I am going to break you, since you did not want to burn". Captains Bessonie and Duras would draw, for the benefit of the Prince of Condé's army, the sum of 20,000 pounds from everything that made up the treasure of Notre-Dame since the 12th century.[13]
The site was again looted during theFrench Revolution.
Contemporary Rocamadour
editSince the early 20th century, Rocamadour has become more of a tourist destination than a pilgrimage center, although pilgrimage continues and remains important. Rocamadour's environs are now marked by several animal parks, includingLe Rocher des AiglesandLe Forêt des Singes(abird of preypark and amonkeypark, respectively) and also hosts an annual cheese festival. Outdoor activities andhot air ballooningare popular among visitors. The site's gravity-defying churches and Black Madonna statue remain a spiritual draw for both Catholic pilgrims and for visitors who practiceearth-basedorNew Agereligions, being drawn to stories of Rocamadour's "strange energies" and pre-Christian origins.[14]
Pilgrimage
edit
A legend supposed to explain the origin of this pilgrimage has given rise to controversies between critical and traditional schools, especially in recent times. A vehicle by which the legend was disseminated and pilgrims drawn to the site wasThe Miracles of Our Lady of Rocamadour,written ca. 1172,[15]an example of themiracula,or books of collected miracles, which had such a wide audience in the Middle Ages.
According to thefounding legend,Rocamadour is named after the founder of the ancient sanctuary,Saint Amator,identified with the BiblicalZaccheus,the tax collector ofJerichomentioned in Luke 19:1-10, and the husband ofSt. Veronica,who wiped Jesus' face on the way toCalvary.
Driven out ofPalestineby persecution,St. Amadourand St. Veronica embarked in a frailskiffand, guided by anangel,landed on the coast ofAquitaine,where they met BishopSt. Martial,another disciple of Christ who was preaching the Gospel in the south-west ofGaul.
After journeying toRome,where he witnessed themartyrdomsof StPeterand StPaul,Amadour, having returned to France, on the death of his spouse, withdrew to a wild spot inQuercywhere he built a chapel in honour of theBlessed Virgin,near which he died a little later.[16]
This account, like most other similar legends, does not make its first appearance till long after the age in which the chief actors are deemed to have lived. The name of Amadour occurs in no document previous to the compilation of his Acts, which on careful examination and on an application of the rules of thecursusto the text cannot be judged older than the 12th century. It is now well established thatSaint Martial,Amadour's contemporary in the legend, lived in the 3rd not the 1st century, and Rome has never included him among the members of theApostolic College.The mention, therefore, of St Martial in the "Acts of St Amadour" would alone suffice, even if other proof were wanting, to prove them doubtful.
The untrustworthiness of the legend has led some recent authors to suggest that Amadour was an unknownhermitor possiblySt. Amator,Bishop of Auxerre,but this is mere hypothesis, without any historical basis. The origin of the sanctuary of Rocamadour, lost in antiquity, is thus set down along with fabulous traditions which cannot bear up to sound criticism. After the religious manifestations of theMiddle Ages,Rocamadour, as a result of war and theFrench Revolution,had become almost deserted. In the mid-nineteenth century, owing to the zeal and activity of the bishops ofCahors,it seems to have revived.[16]
Rocamadour is classed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO as part of the St James' Way pilgrimage route.[17]
Cultural references
editIn her book-length poem,Solitude,Vita Sackville-Westuses Rocamadour in her dedication, as site and setting for inspiration.
The composerFrancis Poulencwrote in 1936Litanies à la Vierge Noire(Litanies to the Black Virgin) after a pilgrimage to the shrine.
Rocamadour inspired 20th-century Latin American novelistsJulio Cortázarand Giannina Brashi who lived in France for some time and wrote in Spanish about immigrants, expatriates, and tourists. In Cortazar's opus "Hopscotch",the sad heroine La Maga has a baby boy named Rocamadour who dies in his sleep. The dead baby Rocamadour is also a character in Giannina Braschi's novel" Yo-Yo Boing! ".
Rocamadour is mentioned inMichel Houellebecq's bookSoumission(2015).
Famous pilgrims
edit- Eleanor of Aquitaine
- Henry II of England
- Blanche of Castile
- Louis IX of France
- Charles IV of France
- Louis XI of France
- Jacques Cartier.In the St. Lawrence Valley (in present-day Quebec province) in February 1536 the French explorer prayed to the Blessed Virgin under the title of Our Lady of Rocamadour that he would make a pilgrimage to her shrine "if he should obtain the grace to return to France safely."
- Francis Poulenc
- Emmanuelle Cinquin
Notes
edit- ^"Répertoire national des élus: les maires".data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises(in French). 9 August 2021.
- ^"Populations légales 2021"(in French).The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies.28 December 2023.
- ^The "roc orroccaof Amadour ".
- ^The modern account is J. Rocacher,Rocamadour et son pèlerinage: étude historique et archéologique,2 vols. (Toulouse) 1979.
- ^Dauzat, Albert; Rostaing, Charles (1989).Dictionnaire étymologique des noms de lieux en France(in French). Paris: Librairie Guénégaud. p. 738.ISBN2-85023-076-6.
- ^abBazalgues, Gaston (2002).À la découverte des noms de lieux du Quercy. Toponymie lotoise(in French). Gourdon: Éditions de la Bouriane et du Quercy. p. 127.ISBN2-910540-16-2.
- ^Hank Sanders; William Lamb (6 July 2024)."Mythical Sword's Disappearance Brings Mystery to French Village".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on 7 July 2024.
- ^"Lot: l'épée Durandal volée à Rocamadour était une copie sans valeur, si ce n'est symbolique".Actu Lot(in French). 2 July 2024.Retrieved7 July2024.
- ^abCheveau, Michelle (1998).Rocamadour: Une cité en équilibre(in French). Concots. p. 430.ISBN2-9510050-6-7.
{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^Le livre de Notre-Dame de Rocamadour au XIIe siècle.Monographie des villes et villages de France (in French). Moine du sanctuaire de Rocamadour. Toulouse: Le Pérégrinateur. 1996.ISBN2910352048.
{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: others (link) - ^Cranga, Y. & F. (1997)."L'escargot dans le midi de la France, approche iconographique"(PDF)(in French).Retrieved22 July2009.
- ^Rosary, Eugène (1864).Les Pèlerinages de France(in French). Mégard et Ce.
- ^Montaigu, Henry (8 April 1974).Rocamadour ou la pierre des siècles. Haut lieux de spiritualité.Éditions SOS. pp. 108–9.ISBN2-7185-0774-8.
- ^Weibel, Deana L.(2022).A sacred vertigo: pilgrimage and tourism in Rocamadour, France.Lanham, Maryland.ISBN978-1-7936-5033-7.OCLC1285370679.
{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^Marcus Graham Bull,The Miracles of Our Lady of Rocamadour: Analysis and Translation(1999) justifies his dating of 1172 and 1173 (for book III), an uncharacteristically rapid assembly of miracle accounts, which were commonly assembled over decades (p. 27); the collection contains 126 miracles in three books.
- ^abClugnet, Léon. "Rocamadour." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 13. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 27 Apr. 2013
- ^"Rocamadour",France Guide,French Government Tourist Office
Relevant literature
edit- Weibel, Deana L.A Sacred Vertigo: Pilgrimage and Tourism in Rocamadour, France.Rowman & Littlefield, 2022.
External links and references
edit
- Tourist office website
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain:Chisholm, Hugh,ed. (1911). "Rocamadour".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 23 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 425.
- Notre Dame De Rocamadour (French only)https://web.archive.org/web/20150422113455/http://www.notre-dame-de-rocamadour.com/
