Rocamadour, St. Céré and Figeac

Let me just say....WOW!  Rocamadour was amazing!  Arriving early has advantages.  My plan was to stay a couple of days in Rocamadour and enjoy the fantastic photo ops as I meandered along taking in the sites.  It was too early to check in to my hotel, the Best Western Beau Site Notre Dame Hotel so I continued to a site that I had heard it was best to arrive early in the morning at, Gouffre de Padirac. 

The Padirac Chasm is just outside of Rocamadour and it is a huge sinkhole with a series of underground galleries hollowed out of the limestone of the Massif Central, the mountainous plateau that covers almost 1/6 of France.  The tour started with an elevator ride followed by stairs the last 240 feet down to a rock chamber and then further to a subterranean river.

 

 At the bottom awaited a flat bottom boat that we took it along the clear, cool water into another world full of wonder and enchantment.  The further we floated the higher the roof got until it was about 256 feet above us.  As we neared the end of the boat ride on Lac de la Pluie (Lake of Rain) I saw the most amazing stalactite I have ever seen, the Great Pendant.  It almost touched the surface of the water and left me in awe.

 There are several caverns on the tour, the most impressive being the Grand Dome where, from a visitor's viewpoint, you can admire the odd shapes formed over the millennia by calcite flows.  This was as far as the boat and walking tour went.

According to legend, Satan was headed for Hell with a bag of souls when he encountered St. Martin, riding his mule. Satan made a bargain with the saint: he would give up his sack of souls if St. Martin’s mule could cross a hole in the ground. He thereupon stamped his foot, opening a huge chasm. The mule leaped across, and its hoof prints are still visible (though some claim the prints are Satan’s wicked feet). St. Martin won the souls, and the devil, no doubt gnashing his teeth, went on down to Hell.

Science has a different version. Over millennia, rain and carbon dioxide reacted to form carbonic acid, which slowly dissolved the limestone, and the underground cave became so large the roof collapsed, leaving an open chasm. That, with the River Padirac steadily working its way through, formed an extensive network of galleries. They were first explored in 1889 by the noted speleologist Édouard Alfred Martel, and the site opened to tourists ten years later.  

I grabbed a quick lunch of Rocamadour cheese, french bread and white wine at the Gouffre Inn then headed back into Rocamadour.  I checked in to my hotel and booted up my trusty computer to research the city a little.  Here's some photos of the hotel.

 The main lobby was just what I thought I would see in France.  Lots of wooden beams and rock walls.  I couldn't have been more pleases.  The hotel had a pool as well a short distance away and was centrally located. 

 

The room was comfortable and allowed me to discover some of the history of the sites I would see later.  I decided to relax the rest of the afternoon and evening and partook of dinner at the restaurant.  My thought was to get an early start in the morning and walk around the city.  I knew from experience that taking pictures would take most of the day....I take a lot of pictures.

My day started with a fast bite, here is a picture of breakfast :)  

 The city of Rocamadour is a dream come true for someone who likes "old stone" and the old stories that go with it.  Rocamadour is a medieval town in the southwestern part of France and it is carved right in to the cliff face above the Alzou River. 

"The grand stairway of Rocamadour is over 200 steps and rises from the lower commercial section to a cluster of churches and chapels midway up the cliff. Pilgrams, poor peasants to royalty and powerful bishops, have been making this trek, crawling up the stairs on their knees doing penance, for the last eight centuries traveling here from all over the world." http://www.europeupclose.com/article/rocamadour-france-quaint-charm-and-medieval-miracles/  The stones are worn from the traffic and you can feel the history with every step and every touch of the stones along the way.  I abstained from ascending on my knees.  I probably do have a lot to atone for but not this trip.

Along the path are stops where people may reflect or pray at the 12 Stations of the Cross.

 

 

 

"Rocamadour became a pilgrimage destination after 1166, when the body of an early Christian hermit, St. Amadour, was discovered in a miraculous state of preservation and almost impossible to destroy. Some claimed he was Zaccheus of Jericho, an early Christian hermit. All kinds of miracles are credited to Rocamadour, from healings to sailors rescued at sea.  The saint’s tomb lies in the church of  St. Amadour, beneath the Basilica of St. Sauveur. Adjacent to the basilica is the 12th-century Chapel of The Virgin, where there’s a wooden Black Madonna said to have been carved by St. Amadour himself. There are some lovely old frescoes and paintings in the complex of churches and chapels that make up the shrine in this section of Rocamadour.

Jutting from the rock face above the entrance to the chapel is a broken sword that supposedly belonged to Roland, the nephew of Charlemagne and hero of “The Song of Roland,” the oldest surviving piece of French literature. Legend says that on the battlefield, when Roland was about to die fighting, the Archangel Michael grasped his sword, flung it away, and it stuck in the cliffs of Rocamadour. As usual, history and legend mingle freely."  This information was retrieved from http://www.europeupclose.com/article/rocamadour-france-quaint-charm-and-medieval-miracles/

Here are some pictures of Rocamadour for your enjoyment.

That man in black would happen to be none other than our friend Jean-Luc.  My next stop will be in St. Céré to visit with him and his family.  His daughters are huge Harry Potter fans so I packed some special collectibles I've accumulated over the last couple of years to surprise them with.

Pictures from around Rocamadour:

The Sword of Roland

The grand staircase

The resting place of St. Amadour

Tired from an adventerous day I retired back to the hotel to pack, download pictures to my computer and head out early in the morning.  


St. Céré and the home of Jean-Luc provided me with a quiet respite.  I had meals with the family, gave the girls my Harry Potter gifts and while the men were at the office, I took off on my own in town.  The coolest thing about the city....there are no traffic lights and rush hour lasts only 10 minutes!  There was also a music festival going on so evenings were spent with music and wine galore.

I spent two days doing nothing but looking around the town and the outlying areas and taking photos.  It was easy to rent a bike in town and I hauled my camera equipment in a backpack along with a picnic lunch provided by Jean-Luc's wife Marie. 

Market day and let me tell you I found some awesome cheese and fruit galore!

I also had an opportunity to visit local communities close to St. Cere.  My travels took me to see:

Castelnau-Bretenoux Castle which was the dream castle of a 19th Century opera singer. The château is gorgeous- as much a home as a fortified castle, it was the residence of a rich baronial family until 1715. Its towers, thick walls and domestic quarters illustrate its architectural development over the centuries. Towards the end of the 19th century the château was bought and restored by opera singer Jean Mouliérat who assembled an eclectic collection of furniture, tapestries, religious art and objets d’art.

Carennac, a marvelous village on the banks of the Dordogne river. The town existed as early as the 11th century, although its history dates back to neolithic times. You can still see the ancient village fortifications, and the priory and church.

The finesse of Italian architecture in the heart of the Lot valley can be seen in the Château de Montal, only 2 km from St. Céré. It was built in 1523 by Jeanne de Balsac, in honour of her son, Robert de Montal.  From 1879, it fell into decline with its finest pieces being acquired by museums and private collections throughout the world. Fortunately, the château was saved in 1908 thanks to the untiring efforts of Monsieur Fenaille who gradually restored the Chateau de Montal to its former splendours.

 My camera is getting quite a workout and while I had a wonderful time with Jean-Luc and his family it was time to move on to Figeac.

Figeac is beautiful and like so many towns in France, it owes its beginnings to the foundation of an abbey in the early days of Christianity.  It quickly became a wealthy because of its position on the pilgrim routes to both Rocamadour and Compostela.  It became a tanning centre in the Middle Ages which partly accounts for the many houses with top floors that have solelhos (open-sided wooden galleries used for drying skins and other produce).  It faced adversity during the Wars of Religion and suffered because it threw in its Lot with the nearby Protestant stronghold of Montauban and suffered reprisals from the victorious royalists in 1662.

Jean-François Champollion, who cracked Egyptian hieroglyphics by deciphering the triple text of the Rosetta Stone, was born in a house at 4 impasse Champollion, off the square, and the building now houses a very interesting museum dedicated to his life and work.

Champollion Museum

 I took a few more pictures while exploring then set out to find my hotel.

Market Square.  I do so love Market Days!

Tired, it was time to make my way to the lodging.  Thankfully I wasn't too hungry because I found some goodies at the market to sustain me and, thanks to Marie, I found a box lunch in my car.  The little sneak.  I must remember to send her a gift before I leave.  She is not into Harry Potter but does have a penchant for really good chocolate.  I found my way to the Hôtel Du Pont Du Pin and found myself not so hungry so I opted for a glass of wine at the bar then turned in.  The hotel has a breakfast buffet so my plan was to eat that before continuing on my way to Toulouse.  

Well, that's it for now my friends.  Until we meet again.