Here is a building with a name as curious as its destiny, which almost completely buried under the sand for almost a century, it almost disappeared forever. Embark with us in the discovery of a miracle.
Tell me, tell me the story of the Basilica Notre-Dame-de-la-fin-des-Terres
Its origin comes from the legend of Saint Veronica. In the first century of our era, returning from Palestine, the future saint and her husband Amadour would have been shipwrecked very close to Soulac and set up a first oratory to keep precious relics there. This oratory will be replaced in the XIIe century by the construction of a Romanesque building which will be the object of a cult dedicated to the saint by the many pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela. In the fourteenthe century, the level of the interior ground is raised because of a first invasion of the sands and the bell tower is fortified a little later during the Wars of Religion.
We can say that so far everything is almost fine for our building until Mother Nature decides to get involved. It is indeed in the XVIIIe century, that the elements were unleashed with a sudden advance of the dunes creating the abandonment of the village by the inhabitants.
The basilica will remain buried for almost a century. Hidden under a mound of sand, only the top of the bell tower was still visible. The vicissitudes of life, such as the rings that hung there, still visible today, had rendered the basilica to a state of ruin.
“Ex arena Redivivina arises”
“from the sand, she arises”
The legend says that a mule tied to the bell tower would have scratched the ground so much that it would have cleared the beginnings of the majestic sleeping basilica. So much so that sand removal work is finally underway to get it out of its grave of sand.
It was in 1860 under the leadership of Cardinal Donnet that Notre-Dame-de-la-fin-des-Terres finally saw the light of day after major restoration work. It has remarkable capitals and a choir formed by a vaulted apse. Inside, the shrine of Saint Veronica recalls its origin. The Basilica is the starting point of the Chemin d'Amadour between Soulac-sur-Mer and Rocamadour, which retraces the route of the legend of Amadour in 21 stages.
Basilica Notre-Dame-de-la-fin-des-Terres
Soulac-sur-Mer
Listed as a historic monument, the Basilica of Notre-Dame-de-la-fin-des-Terres is on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela in France.
To see and do near the Notre-Dame-de-la-fin-des-Terres basilica
Richard's Lighthouse
Planted not far from Pointe de Grave, on the edge of the estuary, on the Médoc coast, the Richard lighthouse was erected in the middle of the 18th century to replace the coastal lights and "Richard's tree", recognizable among the vegetation, which served as landmarks for boats. It has a habitable part topped by an XNUMX meter tower. In good weather, from its summit, you can see the opposite bank, Saintongeaise, from Royan to
Talmont-sur-Gironde. The lighthouse has a museum dedicated to local life, fishing, fauna and flora with the possibility of visiting and playing adventurers at the educational square, nearby. For fans of the Second World War, part of the museum is reserved forOperation Frankton.
