A Sacred Vertigo

Deana L. Weibel explains the shifting identities of Rocamadour, a medieval Black Madonna shrine turned tourist attraction, which enchants both the devout and secular. Weibel analyzes how locals and visitors compete to define Rocamadour, arguing that the unusual properties of the cliff-hanging site make it a prize worth fighting for.

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Built into a huge cliff in central France, the town of Rocamadour is a visual marvel and a place of contradictions. Pilgrims come to venerate its ancient Black Madonna but are outnumbered by secular tourists. Weibel provides an intimate look at the transformation of Rocamadour from a significant religious center to a tourist attraction; the efforts by clergy to restore Rocamadour’s spiritual character; the supernatural reinterpretations of the shrine by non-Catholics; and the desperate decision by the Diocese to participate in tourism itself, with disastrous results.