Soulac-sur-Mer

Soulac -sur -Mer is a commune with 2588 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2011) in the Gironde department in the Aquitaine region. It lies on the peninsula west of the Gironde estuary, in the Médoc, on the Atlantic coast.

History

It is alleged Soulac had been built on or near the ruins of the ancient city Noviomagus that is mentioned by Ptolemy. There are, however, no evidence. The town is first mentioned in 1035 as the site of a monastery. From 1103 it was under as a priory of the Benedictine Abbey of Sainte -Croix in Bordeaux.

At this time, the port became a starting point for the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, the Camino de Santiago. Pilgrims from all over Europe went ashore here, to the chemin littoral continue to deal with along the Atlantic coast, about Andernos -les- Bains, Bayonne, Hendaye, Irun and on the Spanish Camino de la Costa, on foot. For her first prayer on land the church Notre -Dame-de -la -Fin -des- Terres was built. Since 1998 she has been awarded as part of the World Heritage Site by UNESCO " Camino de Santiago in France."

Today, the coastal path in France is considered byway to the main routes of the Camino.

Their importance won the place by a legend, according to which Saint Veronica, her husband Zacchaeus and Saint -Martial in the first century after Christ had come to Gaul in order to Christianize it. ( See also the story Rocamadours ). In Soulac they had gone ashore.

Since the 16th century the stationing of soldiers superimposed on the role of monks and pilgrims. Soulac 1622 was occupied by the Huguenots under Jean de Fava. It was not until 1692 could be resumed in the monastery of regular religious service. However, in the next fifty years, he should totally come to a halt because of a sand dune monastery and church under burying itself.

Also the place Soulac had to be moved at this time. Since the 19th century it developed into a popular seaside resort, the most northerly of the Aquitaine coast. Many buildings have survived from the 19th century. Despite the small firm population it is a bustling city with a variety of shopping and entertainment offerings, thanks to the center for the neighboring tourist resorts during the season.

Attractions

Notre -Dame-de -la -Fin -des- Terres

The pilgrim church near the beach was threatened from the beginning of dunes. From the 12th and 13th centuries there are records of donations, which served apparently to compensate for the progressive silting: The church floor was raised by several meters, the portal was moved from the south to the west side. Finally, the choir and the entire ground floor of the monastery had to be abandoned. 1741, the church was finally abandoned.

With the relocation of the village and the church should be rebuilt. For this, the use of materials of the old church was planned. However, this failed due to objections from the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce: The towering steeple was still out of the sand the arriving in the Gironde ships as an indispensable signposts.

Until the mid- 19th century, the dune had moved on and the church was re-enabled. 1846 reported a delegation from the French Monument Commission was of the facade already so much to see that you actually could see the lintel. It was excavated, and in 1858 the Bishop of Bordeaux worship operation again. In the following decades, the church was thoroughly restored in several steps.

Today Notre Dame is located behind the new Soulac, 500 meters from the coast in a sandy hollow. The surrounding hills, scooped the uncovering of the church are covered with pine trees. The adjacent monastery however, is completely gone.

The nearly 50 -meter-long construction follows the general plan of Benedictine church buildings. The three-aisled nave of is completed in its extension by three chapels, the cross section should correspond to that of the ships. The subsequent alterations in the fight against the sand, however, have meant that the ceiling of the central nave, tower over the choir to access full five meters.

The steeple on the north west side is believed to have been built at a later date. Probably rose above a central tower above the eastern end of the nave.

Field characters Fund

In 1989, on a beach in Soulac the remains of a Gallic character, a wild boar figurine made ​​of brass, discovered. On the openwork back comb to find motifs similar to the pattern of Dejbjerg. It is believed that more than half a meter long field character was the way it was found sacrificed in a ritual action, probably in the late Celtic period. The remains are preserved in their original state at the Museum of Art and Archaeology of the community, a reconstruction copy was made by the Roman-Germanic Central Museum in Mainz. On 4 June 2007, by the French Post a stamp issued in value of € 1.30, representing the statue.

Partnerships

Arrondissement Cantons of France Postal codes in France Church of the Holy Cross, Bordeaux Veronica (given name) Carcans Hourtin Jau-Dignac-et-Loirac Lacanau Margaux Pauillac Saint-Julien-Beychevelle Talais Vendays-Montalivet Vensac Église Saint-Hilaire-le-Grand Pons (Charente-Maritime) Grande-Sauve Abbey La Sauve Amiens Cathedral Folleville (Somme) Mimizan Bayonne Cathedral Mont Saint-Michel
739535
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