Prehistory Rocamadour and its many caves already housed people in the
Paleolithic as shown in the cave drawings of the
Grotte des Merveilles. The
Grotte de Linars cave and its porch served as an underground
necropolis and a habitat in the
Bronze Age. The vestiges are deposited in the museum at
Cabrerets and at the town hall in Rocamadour. During the
Iron Age, the
Cadurques people arrived from middle Germany. In the eighth century BC., they colonised the current
Lot department, using their iron weapons. The remains of a village, in the Salvate valley near
Couzou, were found during work. An
oppidum perched on the heights of the
Alzou valley, downstream from
Tournefeuille, is perhaps linked to the fight of the
Gauls against the
Roman troops during the
Gallic war.
Middle Ages Origins and influence The three levels of the village of Rocamadour date from the Middle Ages and reflect the three orders of medieval society: the knights above, linked to religious clerics in the middle and the lay workers down near the river. Documents mention that in 1105 a small chapel was built in a shelter of the cliff at a place called
Rupis Amatoris, at the limit of the territories of the
Benedictine abbeys of Saint-Martin at
Tulle and Saint-Pierre at
Marcilhac-sur-Célé. In 1112, Eble de Turenne, Abbot of Tulle settled in Rocamadour. In 1119, the first donation was made by Eudes, Comte de la Marche. In 1148, a first
miracle was announced. The location began to attract pilgrims to the
Virgin Mary. The 12th-century book
Livre des Miracles written by a monk from the sanctuary illustrates that Rocamadour had already become famous as a place of pilgrimage. In 1159,
Henry II of England, husband of
Eleanor of Aquitaine, came to Rocamadour to thank the Virgin for her healing. The statue of the Black Madonna dates from the 12th century. Géraud d'Escorailles (abbot from 1152 to 1188) built the religious buildings, financed by donations from visitors. The works were finished at the end of the 12th century. In 1166, excavation for a grave in front of the entrance to the chapel of the Virgin uncovered an intact body, presented as that of
Saint Amadour. Rocamadour had found its saint. At least four stories, more or less tinged with legend, presented Saint Amadour as being close to
Jesus. (The body was burned during the
French Wars of Religion and today only fragments of bone remain, on view in the crypt of Saint-Amadour.) In 1211, the
pontifical legate during the
Albigensian Crusade,
Arnaud Amalric, came to spend the winter in Rocamadour. In addition, in 1291,
Pope Nicholas IV granted three
bulls and forty day
indulgences for site visitors. The end of the 13th century saw the height of Rocamadour's influence and the completion of the buildings. The castle was protected by three towers, a wide moat and numerous lookouts. Subsequently, during the
French Wars of Religion, the iconoclastic passage of Protestant mercenaries in 1562 caused the destruction of religious buildings and their relics. The canons describe, in a petition to
Pope Pius IV in 1563, the damage caused: "They have, oh pain! all trashed; they burned and looted its statues and paintings, its bells, its ornaments and jewels, all that was necessary for divine worship ... ". The relics were desecrated and destroyed, including the body of Saint Amadour. According to witnesses, the Protestant Captain Jean Bessonia broke it with the smith's hammer, saying: "I am going to break you, since you did not want to burn". Captains Bessonie and Duras would draw, for the benefit of the Prince of Condé's army, the sum of 20,000 pounds from everything that made up the treasure of Notre-Dame since the 12th century. The site was again looted during the
French Revolution.
Contemporary Rocamadour Since the early 20th century, Rocamadour has become more of a tourist destination than a pilgrimage center, although pilgrimage continues and remains important. Rocamadour's environs are now marked by several animal parks, including
Le Rocher des Aigles and
Le Forêt des Singes (a
bird of prey park and a
monkey park, respectively) and also hosts an annual cheese festival. Outdoor activities and
hot air ballooning are popular among visitors. The site's gravity-defying churches and Black Madonna statue remain a spiritual draw for both Catholic pilgrims and for visitors who practice
earth-based or
New Age religions, being drawn to stories of Rocamadour's "strange energies" and pre-Christian origins. ==Pilgrimage==