The Everest of the Seas

On October 31, 2016, at 4:00 pm, the statue of Our Lady of Rocamadour docked at the Sables d'Olonne in the Vendée (seaside town in western France) before being carried in solemn procession to Our Lady of Safe Arrival Church, where it was exposed to the devotion of the faithful throughout the 8th annual Vendée Globe, the most famous and difficult sailing race around the world, without stopovers or assistance, also known as the Everest of the Seas.

There was nothing unusual about the presence of this Black Madonna at this event, because since the 12^th century, this Virgin from the small picturesque and touristy village of Rocamadour, France, is the patron saint of sailors.

We owe this holy presence in the town where the race started to the priest of the Sables d'Olonne. "It all began when I last visited the shrine. I was very impressed by all the the ex-votos left by sailors to thank the Virgin for saving them from shipwreck. It was a way to give a Christian dimension to this race and to show the skippers of the Vendée Globe that the Catholic community thinks of them and prays for them.”

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