Rocamadour is a village situated on a steep cliff above the Lot valley. It is a famous Marian shrine in which a statue of the Mother of God called the Black Madonna is venerated.
According to legend, the name of the city comes from the hermit Amadour, who had his seat on the rock. It was supposed to carve a figure from black wood representing the Mother of God sitting on the throne and holding Jesus in her hand. Rocamadour has been one of the most important Marian shrines in France since the Middle Ages. It is also located on the Way of St. James to Santiago de Compostela.
An attraction that attracts not only pilgrims but also tourists to Rocamadour is the unusual location of the town. It is situated on a slope and at the foot of a rocky cliff. All the houses are packed tightly together on one street that climbs towards the top. Its last section leads along over 200 steps and is called Via Sacra. Houses in Rocamadour look stuck to a rock wall and from a distance you can think that some of them almost hang in the air.
The complex belonging to the sanctuary includes the Basilica of Saint-Sauveur standing under the rock and the chapels located above, including the most important Chapel of Our Lady, where the Black Madonna is kept.
