Rocamadour: Guide, Hotels, Map & Photos
English|
EUR 48 - 78 Le Terminus Des Pèlerins
 Ideally set in the medieval town of Rocamadour, Le Terminus Des Pèlerins offers a breathtaking view of the Alzou valley. It offers comfortable rooms,… MoreEUR 44 - 72 Le Comp´ Hostel
 Le Comp´Hostel is located at the highest point of Rocamadour, a 15-minute walk from the old city. It offers rooms with internet access and moder… MoreEUR 45 - 240 La Noyeraie Rocamadour
 This bed and breakfast is set in a farmhouse in the countryside, just a 5-minute drive from the medieval city of Rocamadour. It offers rooms and suite… MoreEUR 60 - 110 Le Troubadour
 Located in Rocamadour, Hotel Le Troubadour welcomes you in an old 17th-century farm renovated with passion. It is set in the heart of a large park.
L… MoreEUR 55 - 71 Logis Hôtel Le Belvédère
 Logis Hôtel Le Belvédère is a comfortable hotel in Rocamadour which has a view of the fortified citadel.
The 17 rooms of the hotel are comfortable… MoreEUR 50 - 73 Relais Amadourien
 Relais Amadourien is located in the historic hillside town of Rocamadour. It offers a swimming pool with a retractable roof, a tennis court and a gard… MoreEUR 55 - 60 Logis Hotel Bellaroc
 Located on the uplands of Rocamadour, Hotel Bellaroc is just 12 km from the Padirac Caves. It features an outdoor swimming pool and offers views over … MoreEUR 38 - 56 Hotel Du Lion D´or
 The Hotel Du Lion D´or is centrally located in the medieval city of Rocamadour. It offers rooms with satellite channels on a flat-screen TV.
T… MoreEUR 37 - 75 Hotel Des Voyageurs
 In peaceful and green surroundings, the Hotel Des Voyageurs is a homey family-run hotel. It offers good value accommodation in a countryside setting. … MoreEUR 69 - 111 Hôtel Du Château
 The Hotel Restaurant du Château de Rocamadour is a typical building of Quercy region, located in the parc naturel régional des causses du Quercy.
T… MoreEUR 80 - 135 Domaine De La Rhue
 Domaine De La Rhue is an elegant charming hotel in the countryside, only a few minutes from the famous pilgrimage site of Rocamadour.
Set in the Nat… MoreEUR 41 - 78 Hôtel Du Roc
 The Hôtel Du Roc is located in the historic hillside town of Rocamadour, in the Lot region. Each guest room has a private bathroom, TV and free Wi-Fi… MoreEUR 74 - 145 Hôtel Les Esclargies
 Set amongst oak trees, this hotel is in the heart of Rocamadour. It offers a pool with fully furnished terrace, and rooms with views of the oak grove,… MoreEUR 45 - 60 Hôtel Sainte Marie
 The Sainte Marie hotel and restaurant is located in the centre of Rocamadour. It offers rooms with panoramic views of the Alzou Valley.
The hotel’s… MoreEUR 39 - 79 Hôtel Résidence d´Alix
 Hôtel Résidence d´Alix is located 10 km from Rocamadour, in the heart of the Causses du Quercy Regional Park. It has an outdoor swimming pool … MoreEUR 80 - 135 Best Western Beau Site
 Grand Hotel Beau Site, full of charm and character, is ideally situated in the heart of the medieval town of Rocamadour.
Guestrooms are comfortable a… More | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rocamadour: Guide
Rocamadour is a former province of Quercy
This village by the wonderful beauty of its situation merits the attention of artists and excites the curiosity of archæologists; but its reputation is due especially to its celebrated sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin Mary which for centuries has attracted pilgrims from every country, among them kings, bishops, and nobles.
The town also gives its name to Rocamadour (cheese)|Rocamadour, a small goat's milk cheese that was awarded Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée|AOC status in 1996.
Geography
Rocamadour is located 36 m. N.N.E. of Cahors by road. It is located on the right bank of the Alzou.
Sights
The buildings of Rocamadour rise in stages up the side of a cliff on the right bank of the Alzou, which here runs between rocky walls 400 ft. in height. Flights of steps ascend from the lower town to the churches, a group of massive buildings half-way up the cliff. The chief of them is the church of Notre Dame (1479), containing a wooden Black Madonna reputed to have been carved by St Amadour. The church opens on to a terrace called the Plateau of St Michel, where there is a broken sword said to be a fragment of Durandal, once wielded by the hero Roland. The interior walls of the church of St Sauveur are covered, with paintings and inscriptions recalling the pilgrimages of celebrated persons. The subterranean church of St Amadour (1166) extends beneath St Sauveur and contains relics of the saint. On the summit of the cliff stands the château built in the Middle Ages to defend the sanctuaries.
Pilgrimage
A curious legend supposed to explain the origin of this pilgrimage has given rise to controversies between critical and traditional schools, especially in recent times. According to the latter, Rocamadour is named after the founder of the ancient sanctuary, St. Amadour, identified with the Biblical Zacchaeus|Zacheus, the tax collector of Jericho mentioned in Luke 19:1-10 , and the husband of Saint Veronica|St. Veronica, who wiped Jesus' face on the way to Calvary. Driven out of Palestine (region)|Palestine by persecution, St. Amadour and Veronica embarked in a frail skiff and, guided by an angel, landed on the coast of Aquitaine, where they met Bishop Saint Martial|St. Martial, another disciple of Christ who was preaching the Gospel in the south-west of Gaul. After journeying to Rome, where he witnessed the martyrdoms of St. Saint Peter|Peter and St. Paul of Tarsus|Paul, Amadour, having returned to France, on the death of his spouse, withdrew to a wild spot in Quercy where he built a chapel in honour of the Blessed Virgin, near which he died a little later.
This account, like most other similar legends, unfortunately does not make its first appearance till long after the age in which the chief actors are deemed to have lived. The name of Amadour occurs in no document previous to the compilation of his Acts, which on careful examination and on an application of the rules of the cursus to the text cannot be judged older than the 12th century. It is now well established that St. Martial, Amadour's contemporary in the legend, lived in the 3rd not the 1st century, and Rome has never included him among the members of the Apostolic College. The mention, therefore, of St. Martial in the Acts of St. Amadour would alone suffice, even if other proof were wanting, to prove them doubtful. The untrustworthiness of the legend has led some recent authors to suggest that Amadour was an unknown hermit or possible St. Amator, Bishop of Auxerre, but this is mere hypothesis, without any historical basis. The origin of the sanctuary of Rocamadour, lost in antiquity, is thus set down along with fabulous traditions which cannot bear up to sound criticism. After the religious manifestations of the Middle Ages, Rocamadour, as a result of war and the French Revolution, had become almost deserted. In more modern times, owing to the zeal and activity of the bishops of Cahors, it seems to have revived and pilgrims and tourists are beginning to crowd there again.
Trivia
There is a character named Rocamadour in Argentina|Argentine writer Julio Cortazar's novel Rayuela|Hopscotch.
External link and references
This "Travel Guide" section is drawn from the Wikipedia article "Rocamadour". We hope you will edit and improve it. It is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.