Ermitage Notre-Dame du Coral

Prats-de-Mollo-la-Preste

At the bottom of a mountain cirque, the hermitage of Notre-Dame du Coral has welcomed pilgrims for centuries. Tradition tells that a shepherd discovered a statue of the Virgin in an oak, but this is a legend that nothing dates. According to a site specialising in Black Virgins, a text of 1267 already mentions a church Sancta Maria de Coral. The present buildings date from the 17th and 18th centuries, according to the Ministry of Culture. The chapel has a nave with a rib vault. Behind the choir, a camaril, that is, an upper chapel, is reached by two side staircases. Hermits provided the service of the pilgrimage. According to the same site, the statue was sold at auction in 1790, then bought back by the faithful. Pilgrimages are held on Whit Monday and on 16 August. The hermitage has been inscribed as a historic monument since 1990.

French Ministry of Culture — Mérimée, Ermitage Notre-Dame-du-Coral ↗

Getting there: Property of the commune. Reached by the road to the col d'Ares (about 10 km from Prats-de-Mollo), then by an unpaved track of about 5 km. According to the tourist office, the chapel is open a few half-days a week in season (Friday and Sunday mornings, Thursday and Saturday); an inn and walkers' lodging are next door. A tourist guide site said it was closed for works after spring 2024: better to enquire before setting out.

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

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