Camino Photo of the Day: the Chapel of the Black Madonna

The highlight of Rocamadour – even greater than the Basilica church next door – is undoubtedly the chapel of Notre Dame de Rocamadour. For nearly a thousand years, pilgrims from all over the world have come to meet the Black Madonna with closed eyes, holding the infant Jesus on her lap. This 15th-century Gothic chapel is built right into the cliff face, replacing an earlier, more primitive structure. Sitting in this little chapel was one of the great highlights of my pilgrimage. It is a glorious place, Gothic throughout, superbly appointed and decorated with nobility and beauty. There are memorials here of the various miracles ascribed to Our Lady of Rocamadour, particularly those of sailors in danger of shipwreck. A bell, dating earlier than the 9th century, hangs high overhead in the church with no rope attached. It is said that it spontaneously rings when such a miracle occurs. It last rang in 1617. 

Date: 01 September 2023
Place: Rocamadour, Lot Département, Region of Occitanie, France

Maps!

The site I’ve been using for my daily maps, Gronze.com, while otherwise great, unfortunately doesn’t have maps for this variant. So here’s a map from my book Practical Pilgrimage showing the entirety of the three main variants and larger sub-variants. I walked the GR6 from Figeac to Rocamadour and the GR46 on to Cahors.