Rocamadour

Rocamadour (French pronunciation: [ʁɔkamaduʁ]; Languedocien: Ròcamador) is a commune in the Lot department in southwestern France. It lies in the former province of Quercy. It is a member of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France (The Most Beautiful Villages of France) Association. Rocamadour has attracted visitors for its setting in a gorge above a tributary of the River Dordogne and especially for its historical monuments and its sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which for centuries, dating back to the turn of the 12th century, has attracted historical and anonymous pilgrims from many countries, among them kings, bishops and nobles (including Henry II of England, Simon de Montfort, Blanche of Castile and Saint Louis IX of France, Saint Dominic and Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, among other illustrious figures). The town below the complex of monastic buildings and pilgrimage churches, traditionally dependent on the pilgrimage site and now on the tourist trade, lies near the river on the lowest slopes; it gives its name to Rocamadour, a small goat's-milk cheese that was awarded AOC status in 1996.