Nestled in a verdant fold of the Sioulet valley, Orcival’s roof-tops huddle around the exquisite Romanesque Basilique de Notre-Dame. Beneath an octagonal belfry and spire, a fan of tiny chapels mushrooms from the back of the chancel. The plain, leafy capitals of the nave develop into more elaborate designs on the outer circle of the ambulatory. There is a small but famous Black Virgin dressed in enamel and silver. She inspired the motley collection of manacles, balls and chains slung above the main door – ex votos from penitent convicts.