Pilgramage
France
01 CHAPTER
ROCAMADOUR
I saw this place long before I knew it existed. One day, I had a dream about an incredible village, carved out from the rocks. I remembered this beautiful dream for a long time. Is it worth mentioning that when I was planning my trip to France, studying local attractions, I came across this town of my dreams? At that moment, I clearly realized that I had to go there no matter what!
Getting to Rocamadour from a big city, such as Paris is not easy, especially if you are a solo traveler, and going there without a car. Therefore, I decided to travel by train, the route: Paris - Roc Amadour Padirac. There is no direct train to the city itself, so you still have to walk about an hour and a half to get there. I embarked on board of a night train, which was supposed to “fly” me to my destination in ten hours. At the appointed time of arrival, as the only passenger who was preparing to get off, I stood with a backpack and waited for the train to stop and let me out. There was no announcement of the station, but the city's sign flashed quickly before my eyes through the window. The train finally stopped. I eagerly began to wait for the conductor to open the door, but no one followed. I felt utterly bewildered while the train started to move again after standing there for only two minutes. In panic, I began to run around the car back and forth. Apparently, my agony, awoke a dozing conductor, who was sleeping nearby. With my broken French, I tried to explain to him that I just missed my station, because I couldn’t figure out how to get out. He looked at me, like I was an alien, who just fell down to Earth from Mars, but at some point, felt sorry, and stopped the train. The conductor was even able to explain to me that in order to get out, you need to open the door yourself and politely showed how…
While getting out of the fog at 5 am, all by myself, I came across some peacefully grazing cattle in a meadow. Local sheep and cows were puzzled by my appearance, and all at once, they stared at me. I was pleased to see the presence of life nearby, and it also meant that the village was not too far.
Rocamadour greeted me with its tolling bells. It was a revelation to learn that this tiny village consists of only one street. In 1166, an ancient tomb with the ‘miracle’ body, recognized as the remains of the Saint Amadour was discovered there. In his honor, the city was named Rocamadour, which means “Mountain of St. Amadour”. This discovery led to the pilgrimage of countless remorseful sinners and Christians. For many centuries, pilgrims walked up to the chapel of Notre Dame - the sacred site, by climbing the monumental flights of steps on their knees, while reading prayers.
Rocamadour is vertically divided into three levels: Cité Médiévale (Medieval City), Cité Religieuse (Religious City) and Château (Castle). The lowest level - "Cité Médiévale" consists of the main and only street in Rocamadour – Grand Rue, which starts from the old gate and stretches across the city. Here, you can stare at the medieval merchant houses, have a delicious dinner in one of the many cozy restaurants, and book a hotel - there are several of them in the village.
The middle level is "Cité Religieuse" - the religious center of the city. All the important sanctuaries and chapels are located here, including the famous Notre Dame, which has a miraculous statue of the Black Virgin, carved out of the walnut tree by the holy hermit St. Amadour. It is believed that this statue has healing power. There even this book exists, that keeps a record of all 126 miracles created by the Black Virgin. The rumor has it, that when a miracle occurs, the bell, which hangs inside this sanctuary, begins to toll spontaneously, informing about what just happened. Near the sanctuary, many marble signs are nailed into the rock. Those are expressions of gratitude from various people who were miraculously healed by the statue.
The upper level is where the Castle of Rocamadour stands. In order to climb to it, you need to overcome a few more dozen steps and a winding road, consisting of 14 marches, which personify the "Way of the Cross." When you get to the very top of the mountain, you see the "Jerusalem" cross. Currently, the castle is someone’s private property, and there is no way to get inside. However, anyone can go up to the observation deck and enjoy the extraordinary views that can only be seen from the top.
