SAINT-GÉNY BASILICA

In the lower town, this magnificent chapel left without use was acquired by a monastic community depending on the Serbian Orthodox Church. It was rededicated in 2000 in the presence of 600 people. Today, the site is home to Father Anthony and a dozen religious. The basilica houses the relics of the Lectourian martyr St. Geny, a miraculous icon of the Mother of God of Chilandar, monstrances, ciboria, a sarcophagus, a sculpted iconostasis and, more unusual, a beautiful icon representing King Louis XVI. Next to the basilica is a small museum with an important collection of santons. It can be visited by appointment with Father Antoine. The monastery of Saint-Gény was founded in the 10th century by Guilhem Sanche de Gascogne. The bishop Gothescalc stopped there during his pilgrimage to Compostela in 950. The bishop who left Le Puy en Velay is considered the first pilgrim to the city of Galicia. Pilgrims continue to be welcomed at the Maison Béthanie which adjoins the monastery. The present chapel dates back to the 16th century. It was rebuilt on the foundations of the old church, itself built on the tomb of the hermit Saint-Geny. The wars of religion that raged in this region left whole swathes of territory devastated, many of which took a long time to recover. There is no longer any original building of the priory, which has been completely sacked. Only a few wells and a surrounding wall remain.