Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
town sprouted at its base to handle the needs of its growing pilgrim hordes. During
Europe's great age of pilgrimages (12th and 13th centuries), the greatest of pilgrims
(St. Louis, St. Dominique, Richard the Lionhearted, and so on) all trekked to this
spot to pray. Rocamadour became a powerful symbol of faith and hope.
During the 14th century, up to 8,000 people lived in Rocamadour, earning their
living off of the pilgrims—who arrived in numbers of up to 20,000 a day. But with
the 16th-century Wars of Religion and the Age of Enlightenment (in the 18th cen-
tury), pilgrimages declined...and so did Rocamadour.
DuringtheRomanticAgeofthe19thcentury,pilgrimageswereagaininvogue,
and Rocamadour rebounded. Local bishops rebuilt the château above the sanctuary,
making it a pilgrims' reception center, and connecting it to the church with the Way
of the Cross. (Most of the current buildings in the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Roca-
madour date from the 19th century.) But there hasn't been a bona fide miracle here
for eight centuries...and that's not good for the pilgrimage business.
Since the mid-20th century, Rocamadour has become more a tourist attraction,
and today, its 650 inhabitants earn a living off its million visitors a year. The vast
majority of those who climb the holy steps to the sanctuary are tourists—more in-
terested in burning calories than incense.
Château
Dating from the 14th century, the original château fortified a bluff that was an easy base
for bandits to attack the wealthy church below. Today's structure is a 19th-century private
house that was transformed into a reception spot for pilgrims. It's
privé
unless you are a
pilgrim (in which case you can sleep here). All it offers tourists is a short rampart walk for
a grand view (not worth the €2 fee; turnstile requires exact change).
The zigzag
Way of the Cross
(Chemin de la Croix—a path marked with 14 Stations
of the Cross, with a chapel for each station) gives religious purpose to the 15-minute hike
between the château and the sanctuary below.
Grotte Préhistorique des Merveilles
This cave, located next to the upper TI, has the usual geological formations and a handful
of small, blurred cave paintings. It's of no interest if you have seen or will see other pre-
historic caves—its sole advantages are that it requires little effort to visit (with only about
10 steps down), and the guide can answer questions in English on the 40-minute tour.
