Chapelle Notre-dame de Tonneteau

Secrets of stones
Astonishing place of pilgrimage located on the site of an “apparation” of the Virgin in the 16th century. Over time, several chapels were built there. It was in 1864 that the last one was blessed. The park is home to oaks and abalone several hundred years old, piously preserved and a spring with healing properties. The 14 stations of a reinforced cement Stations of the Cross, each reproducing a different tree, create a surprising green church which hosts many outdoor weddings. Around 1850, a bourgeois from Gondrin thought of exploiting the abundant water of the spring by building a bathing establishment with accommodation, which is still visible.

Spirit of the place
“Between sky and earth, water and trees to celebrate the magic of this meeting and the fertility of the Ténarèze countryside. Nothing totally pagan in this: a word to remind us that humanity must rejoice in this miraculous water, because of the life it provides. The ancient Aquitaine people – people of water – already devoted an unconditional cult to it, recognizing in each wave its “magical virtues” according to the lands it crosses, and whose… physico-chemical memories it expresses. Especially when the water is profuse, as in these limestone rocks, and it flows without respite, which contrasts with most Gascon springs, capriciously oozing molasses. And it is the whole sanctuary which exults, and rises in the multitude of trees which benefit from the drink. They appear on the Stations of the Cross and are the places of the apparition (elm) or wisdom (Osage orange tree). Trees and springs are also deities and it is not surprising that today's Aquitaine people always come to visit the good fairies who watch over them. » – Bruno SIRVEN, Tree & Landscape 32.

Nearby
A walk on the Voie Verte de l'Armagnac, a visit to the Lasdoutz washhouse and the discovery of the Lian vineyard cabin...