Chapelle Notre-Dame de Rocamadour (Camaret-sur-Mer)

Camaret-sur-Mer

At the end of the Sillon, the spit of shingle that closes the harbour of Camaret, a chapel stands on a rock. A black stone in the wall bears the date 1527. But texts of 1183 and 1373 already speak of a sanctuary here. Until the 17th century, high tide cut it off from the coast. Its bell guided boats home in foggy weather. The present building was erected from 1610 to 1683, in Logonna stone. Its name comes, according to the Inventaire de Bretagne, from northern pilgrims who landed here on their way to Rocamadour; a local reading sees instead ‘the rock in the midst of the waters’. On the night of 24 February 1910, a fire destroyed the roof and the old ex-votos. The timber roof was rebuilt as an upturned boat hull, panelled and painted blue. A ship's carpenter, François-Joseph Keraudren, carved the pulpit in 1914-1915. Eight maritime ex-votos are kept there today: three models, including the lobster boat Belle-Étoile, four lifebuoys with their oars and a model in a display case. They have been protected as objects since 1991, the chapel since 1935. The September pardon ends with a blessing of the sea.

French Ministry of Culture (POP) — Chapelle de Notre-Dame-de-Rocamadour, Camaret-sur-Mer ↗

Getting there: At the end of the Sillon, near the Vauban tower, at Camaret-sur-Mer; free access to the site, chapel open in season; pardon on the first Sunday of September, with a blessing of the sea.

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

Ambient sound