Basilika Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours de Lablachère

Beautiful basilica. The white figure of Mary on the bell tower can be seen from afar. A short tour of the basilica is worthwhile. She is very beautiful. Inside is a wooden figure of the Virgin Mary from the late 17th early 18th century, making the basilica also a pilgrimage church.

The large church in Romanesque Revival style was consecrated in 1855 and replaced a chapel donated by a local nobleman in 1682 and rebuilt in the late 18th century, which had become an important Marian pilgrimage. The interior, which is pleasantly cool for overheated cyclists, is decorated with historicist fresco paintings and painted windows. On the top of the tower stands a white figure of the Virgin Mary, visible from afar. The church was elevated to "Basilica minor" (minor basilica) in 1930 in recognition of its importance as a pilgrimage destination. The main attraction is the wooden statue of the Virgin Mary taken from the previous building, the work of an unknown artist from the late 17th or early 18th century. The church forms the center of the hamlet of Notre Dame, which belongs to Lablachère. The church and the village mark the end of the D246 road coming from Saint-Alban-Auriolles, which offers a nice climb through a landscape very typical of the region.