Page 69 - DK Eyewitness Travel Guides - The World's Must-See Places

FRANCE 67

Chateau Basilica of St-Sauveur
This 12th-century Roma nesqu~
Gothic sanctuary backs on to
the bare rock face.

FRANCE
BAY OF
BISCAY
--Cross of
Jerusalem Bordeaux• Q ROCAMADOUR·
Marseille•
M£0/T£ RRAN£AN
SPAIN S£A

ST_AMADOUR
There are various stories about the life of
St Amadour. One legend claims that he was
Zaccheus of Jericho, who knew and conversed
with Jesus during his time on Earth. His wife,
St. Anne's Chapel
Built in the 13th S t Veronica, gave Jesus a cloth to wipe his
century, this chapel face during his journey to Calvary. After Jesus'
has a fine 17th-century crucifixion, Zaccheus and his wife fled from
gilded altar screen.
Palestine to escape religious persecution. On
their travels, the couple met S t Martial, Bishop
of Limoges, in Aquitaine, France, who was
preaching the Gospel They continued to Rome,
and while there they witnessed the martyrdoms
of St Peter and St Paul The death of his wife
led Zaccheus back to France and the place I ater
named after him, where he stayed until he
died in AD 70.
CHAPEL OF NOTRE-DAME
This Romanesque chapel (Romanesque Style,
see p.122) was built in the 15th century close to
the site where St Amadour's body was found.
Considered the holiest of Rocamadour's chapels,
~ Chapel of Notre-Dame it houses the famous statue of the Black Virgin
The highly venera ted and Child. Pilgrims who heard about the statue
12th-century statue of
the Black Virgin and Child, flocked to the shrine, often climbing the Grand
made of walnut wood Stairway on their knees as they prayed for the
and covered in blackened forgiveness of their sins. A 9th-century bell
I silver, stands on the altar. hangs in the chapel's vault and is thought to
ring when a mir ad e occurs. Saints and kings
Chapel of St John also made the journey to the chapel, including
the Baptist England's King Henry II Legend says that he was
The chapel faces the fine
Gothic portal of the cured of an ill ness when he prayed before the
Basilica of St-Sauveu r. Black Virgin and Child.

Chapel of St. Blaise ROCAMADOUR'S MUSEUM
The Museum of Sacred Art is housed in the
Bishop's Palace, which was constructed by the
abbots ofTulle in the 13th century. The museum
was restored in 1996 and is dedicated to the
French composer Francis Poulenc (1899-1963),
who was inspired to compose LifEnies to the
Black Virgin after visiting Rocam a dour. The
museum's collection of statues, paintings, and
religious artifacts has been assembled from
different sites around Rocamadour. Particularly
interesting is the 17th-century statue of the
prophet Jonah, carved in wood, and the fine
lanterns, vases, and chalices that are sti II used in
various religious cerem oriies at Rocamadour.