Dordogne Farewell

Since Anne has wrapped up her thoughts on our Dordogne stay, I guess I had better get with the program as well!

In a previous post I mentioned the villages, both prehistoric and medieval, built into or around the many gorges and cliff formations here.  One of the most famous is the village of Rocamdour.  It’s actually in the neighboring French ‘Department’ of Lot, but the terrain’s the same.  What always amazes me is how ambitious medieval builders were with the equipment and tools they had to work with.  We’d think twice today about attempting some of the projects they did that are still amazing visitors.

Rocamdour is literally built up the face of a cliff with the local chateau sitting on the top and the cathedral set into a hollow a third of the way up!  It runs over multiple levels following the natural rock ledges.  Note the organ loft up against the cliff face at the rear of the cathedral.  It’s classed as a minor basilica and I had the opportunity to hear the organ and witness a Mass going on in front of a full house.

The following day took us to another ‘minor’ chateau that was more than we expected.  The Chateau Fenelon is privately owned and occupied, but is remarkably original.  While more comfortable Renaissance accommodation was added to the original medieval fortifications, it still retains its defensive character and has commanding views of the neighboring countryside.  Having been in the family for generations, the interiors are of remarkable quality and completeness.  It’s no wonder the chateau has been a location for five different French movie and TV productions.

And finally, on our last day in the Dordogne, I took a little drive to do a little exploring.  I ended up in the little village of Saint Genies to check out a ‘very minor’ chateau.  It’s been closed for some time as the roof is in dire need of repair.  It’s one of the stone ‘lauze’ roofs and the supporting structure was starting to sag.  One of the benefits of the lauze roofs is that the stone doesn’t wear out, so you just redo the underlying structure and recycle the stone.  Repairs were underway and apparently job health and safety are not a priority in this case!  Next stop, Spain.