Rocamadour, France – Historic Christian pilgrimage site

Rocamadour, France – Historic Christian pilgrimage site

Welcome to the channel. In today’s video, we are visiting a beautiful cliffside village in southwestern France. The famous Christian pilgrimage site of Rukamador, France. The town rises in stages above the gorge of the Alzoo River. The three levels of the village date from the middle ages and reflect the three classes of medieval society. The knights occupied the top level. The religious order was in the middle and the layman workers were down by the river. This small village receives approximately 1.5 million visitors annually and is one of France’s most visited tourist destinations. The visitors include both tourists and religious pilgrims. The main street houses a number of restaurants to feed the many pilgrims that visit this sacred site each year. Famous pilgrims to visit the city include Henry II of England, Elellanor of Aquitane, Blanch of Castile, Louis the 9th of France, St. Bernard, and Charlemagne, who according to legend left his sword here. The main street leads to a long, steep staircase called the Grand Escalier. 216 steps separate the lower town from a group of religious buildings situated halfway up the hill. Pilgrims could find the great stairway after a short walk down the main street. Roamador was an important pilgrimage site on the route to Santiago de Compostella in Spain known as the way of St. James. Many pilgrims ascend the stairs on their knees while reciting a prayer with each step for forgiveness of sins. The sanctuary is made up of a group of beautiful buildings clustered together about halfway up the rock case. The Church of Notre Dame houses a 26-in high wooden statue of the Virgin Mother that has been venerated by pilgrims for over 1,000 years. A replica of the legendary Durandal sword has been a popular attraction in the village for about 9 centuries. Local legend claims the historical figure Rolon, who had been mortally wounded during the battle of Ronivo and wanting to keep Durandel from falling into enemy hands, threw the sword and it miraculously traveled to Roamador, where it lodged in the rock above the sanctuary village. Heat up here. Heat. Heat. Thanks for watching. If you like the video, hit the like button. To see more videos like this one, hit the subscribe button.

Music by Epidemic Sound
Creative Commons Attribution: CSvBibra painting by Wolfgang von Bibra, Traumrune photo of durendal sword, BenduKiwi