Basilique Notre-Dame-de-la-fin-des-Terres

UNESCO world heritage, Registered monuments and sites

Tradition has it that the origin of the basilica can be traced back to the legend of Saint-Veronique. In the first century of our era, after the death of the Virgin, Saint-Veronique, Saint-Amadour and Saint-Martial came from Palestine and landed in Soulac-sur-Mer. Saint-Veronique built a modest oratory in memory of the Virgin, after having evangelized the Médoc and the Bazadais. It was probably in the 11th century, when pilgrims from the English lands landed there, that this Benedictine abbey, classified as a historical monument, was built. The construction of the Romanesque church was not completed before the beginning of the 12th century. In the 18th century, erosion of the dunes caused the church to be almost completely silted up, and it was only in the middle of the 19th century that it was cleared. This monument is registered on the UNESCO World Heritage List.