Bluette Matthey's Blog - Posts Tagged "pilgrimmage"
The Hermitage in the Galamus Gorge
Pilgrimages are popular in Europe, particularly around Easter and Pentecost, and the Hermitage of St.-Antoine de Galamus in the Languedoc-Rousillon area of France is a favorite destination. Nestled in a cavity overhung by limestone cliffs in the Galamus Gorge, the hermitage dates back to the fourteenth century and the area is often referred to as ‘Holy Mountain’. There is evidence that the area was visited as early as the seventh century by other recluses, perhaps of Celtic origin, seeking solitude.
Monks from the order of St. Francis of Assissi created the chapel in one of the original caves of the hermitage in the fifteenth century, and it is the chapel that draws pilgrims from this area in the south of France. The hermitage contains relics of the Holy Cross and other treasured relics, such as the remains of beatified Father Francisco Palau y Quer, a Carmelite monk.
The nearby town of Saint Paul-de-Fenouillet was plagued by the ‘sweating sickness’ in 1792. The origin of this affliction is not known, but it was a disease that caused its victims to sweat profusely and progress rapidly to death in just a matter of hours. After fourteen members of this community died from the sickness the town was placed under the protection of St. Anthony and, miraculously, the affliction left the village.
The gorge, which extends for over two kilometers, was cut out over a great period of time by the Agly River, which flows to the Mediterranean Sea. There is a suitable parking lot near the beginning of the path which descends to the hermitage. A twenty minute walk through wild, spectacular scenery brings you to the hermitage.
The corniche road winding up to the gorge is increasingly narrow and not for the faint of heart, but the views of the mountains and gorge are amazing. In the summer time during high tourist season the road to the gorge becomes very hazardous; you would do well to stop in one of the nearby villages and catch the shuttle bus (Saint Paul-de-Fenouillet or Cubières-sur-Cinoble).
http://www.france-voyage.com/tourism/...
Monks from the order of St. Francis of Assissi created the chapel in one of the original caves of the hermitage in the fifteenth century, and it is the chapel that draws pilgrims from this area in the south of France. The hermitage contains relics of the Holy Cross and other treasured relics, such as the remains of beatified Father Francisco Palau y Quer, a Carmelite monk.
The nearby town of Saint Paul-de-Fenouillet was plagued by the ‘sweating sickness’ in 1792. The origin of this affliction is not known, but it was a disease that caused its victims to sweat profusely and progress rapidly to death in just a matter of hours. After fourteen members of this community died from the sickness the town was placed under the protection of St. Anthony and, miraculously, the affliction left the village.
The gorge, which extends for over two kilometers, was cut out over a great period of time by the Agly River, which flows to the Mediterranean Sea. There is a suitable parking lot near the beginning of the path which descends to the hermitage. A twenty minute walk through wild, spectacular scenery brings you to the hermitage.
The corniche road winding up to the gorge is increasingly narrow and not for the faint of heart, but the views of the mountains and gorge are amazing. In the summer time during high tourist season the road to the gorge becomes very hazardous; you would do well to stop in one of the nearby villages and catch the shuttle bus (Saint Paul-de-Fenouillet or Cubières-sur-Cinoble).
http://www.france-voyage.com/tourism/...
