We left Par la Rivière on the Dordogne behind this morning, after a wonderful five days! We went to the market in Domme before leaving the area, for one last look over the Dordogne River.
We drove to Cadouin to visit the abbey church and cloister, on the UNESCO world heritage list. Cadouin Abbey was founded as a Cistercian monastery in 1115. In the late 1100’s to early 1200’s, the abbey came into possession of what was believed to be the shroud from the tomb of Christ. It made Cadouin Abbey an important place of pilgrimage, along the Camino de Santiago way, and brought it great prestige and wealth. The shroud was proven a fake in 1934. Instead of being the fabric that wrapped Christ’s head, it was found to have been commissioned in the 11th century for a Caliph in Egypt. Telltale writing in Arabic, mentioning Mohamed, was the unfortunate giveaway. The Archbishop had no option but to permanently suspend the pilgrimages. Cadouin and its faithful were devastated. We think it is an amazing story! This was our second visit to Cadouin! We ate lunch at the Restaurant de la Abbey across the street, just as we did a few years ago.
We drove on to our home for the next four nights, Chateau Lamothe du Prince Noir, just 12 miles from the city of Bordeaux. “Built in the 14th century, when Aquitaine was under English rule, the Chateau takes its name from the Black Prince, Edward of Woodstock, who used it as a hunting lodge.”
