Our Lady of Cyclists

Jean Robic, Louison Bobet, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Laurent Jalabert, Tom Boonen, Alberto Contador... all these and more cyclist champions at one time or another donated their jerseys to the Géou Chapel, also known as Our Lady of Cyclists, at the Bastide d'Armagnac (France).

This chapel houses an astonishing collection of jerseys once worn by the greatest road racing cyclists, from the Postwar to today. "More than 700 jerseys are on permanent display. Among them you can even find very old shirts made of wool. These jerseys are like ex-votos. The available space is limited, and 120 jerseys are still in storage in plastic crates while waiting to join the exhibition.

If the Géou Chapel has united its destiny to cycling, it owes it to a cycling enthusiast, Father Joseph Massie. In the 1950s, during a bicycle trip near Lake Como in Italy, the priest discovered the Madonna del Ghisallo, a chapel dedicated to cycling and erected as a national shrine by Pope Pius XII in 1948. Enthralled by the idea, Father Massie decided to do the same with the Géou Chapel, where he used to celebrate mass.

On May 11, 1959, by a decree of the sacred congregation of rites, the chapel became the national French shrine of cyclists. Seven days later, on a Pentecost Monday, the local bishop presided over the inauguration of Our Lady of Cyclists.

Aleteia