Basilique Notre-Dame de Boulogne-sur-Mer

Boulogne-sur-Mer

According to legend, a boat with no oars, no sails and no crew entered the Liane estuary in 633, carrying a wooden statue of the Virgin and Child — the Virgin herself is said to have appeared at the same moment to worshippers gathered in prayer, asking them to build a sanctuary to receive her. This cult of the "seafaring Virgin," shown sailing in a boat steered by two angels, made Boulogne one of the most important pilgrimage sites in medieval Europe, as popular as Compostela: knights setting off on crusade came to have their swords blessed there. The present basilica, rebuilt in the 19th century by a simple abbot with no architectural training, inspired by St Peter's in Rome, stands on an immense 12th-century Romanesque crypt rediscovered by chance during the building work, which holds a reliquary of the Holy Blood given by Philippe IV le Bel in 1308.

Getting there : Free access, paid entry to the crypt

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound