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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.
For more information, check out A Conversation with Deana L. Weibel: A Sacred Vertigo: Pilgrimage and Tourism in Rocamadour, France or this podcast episode on Meaningful Journeys.
Deana L. Weibel appears on The Camino Podcast to discuss A Sacred Vertigo: Pilgrimage and Tourism in Rocamadour, France. Watch here.
List of contents
Chapter 1Looking Backward: An Overview of Rocamadour's History
Chapter 2Whose Shrine is it Anyway?: Competing Local Interpretations of Rocamadour
Chapter 3 Primed for Action and Reaction: The Influence of Visitors' Preconceptions
Chapter 4 Echoes and Energy: Rocamadour's Numinous Nature
Chapter 5On Shaky Ground: The Shifting Identities of a Shrine
About the author
By Deana L. Weibel
Summary
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.
