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

As I sat praying in the chapel of Notre Dame de Rocamadour, my rosary was interrupted by a Mass. It was absolutely beautiful, led by a young priest and a single server, along with a lector and a two-person choir with lovely voices. I understood barely a word – not even the readings, as it was a votive Mass, and I had no idea what readings were being used. And yet! And yet, it was one of the most beautiful and moving Masses I have ever attended. You could feel the angels joining in the Sanctus—or perhaps it was we who were joining them—and during the Canon, it was as though I was kneeling at the foot of the Cross. 

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.