Pilgrims on the Way

For the next few days (through the Thanksgiving break), I’ll be posting some of the spectacular views from Rocamadour. Far below the ramparts of the Sanctuary district, the highway to Rocamadour climbs the hill to eventually meet up with the main road into the medieval city. You can just about see one of the switchbacks down below. Date: 01 September […]

For the next few days (through the Thanksgiving break), I’ll be posting some of the spectacular views from Rocamadour. Looking down, you can see the old medieval town on the level below the Sanctuary level. It follows the cliffside until it becomes nothing more than a treacherously steep hill. Date: 01 September 2023 Place: Rocamadour, Lot Département, Region of Occitanie, […]

Eventually, Bruno, Ávila, Valentina, and Paul—my roommates from last night—finally arrived in Rocamadour. It was a short day, and they decided to leave late and dawdle. I might have done the same, but for the heat wave affecting France. From experience, I know how badly I do in the full heat of the day, so I left at my normal […]

After visiting the churches and monuments of Rocamadour, I checked into my gîte, which was the priory guesthouse of a group of nuns. It is located on the outskirts of the old medieval town. This was my view on my way back to town to look for some later afternoon sustenance. It didn’t seem real. Date: 01 September 2023 Place: […]

This statue of Saint James may be found in the Basilica of the Holy Saviour in Rocamadour. It’s obviously quite modern, but dignified and solemn. He has the hat, shell, and staff of a pilgrim, but as befits an apostle, he carries a book (presumably the scriptures) and wears what I think is a somewhat odd take on a chasuble. […]

I mentioned yesterday that the organ in the Basilica of the Holy Saviour in Rocamadour is shaped like a ship. Well, here it is. You can see the wooden hull under the pipes, and the designs in the frame are meant to suggest sails. I can almost see it if I squint. You can also see that the back wall […]

The Basilica of the Holy Saviour in Rocamadour is an odd structure, crammed into an oddly-shaped space and clinging to the cliffside. Massive pillars everywhere interrupt the sight lines. The gigantic organ is shaped like a ship, and the quasi-Romanesque sanctuary features a modern stained-glass window depicting the Good Shepherd. And for all its oddities, you can feel the sense […]

All throughout the chapel of Notre Dame de Rocamadour, you find votive offerings in the form of ships, like this one hanging from the ceiling. Even though this place is hundreds of miles from the sea, there are numerous stories of maritime miracles attributed to Notre Dame de Rocamadour. So many, in fact, that the devotion of French sailors to […]

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 […]