Page 22 - Delcampe Collections classiques EN-005

Stamps
4: French, Andorra, 2010, the
legend of Charlemagne’s chair. still showed the room in which
5: French, Andorra, 1978,
Charlemagne’s house at Puy
de l’Olivesa on the heights of
Sant-Julia de Loria.
6: French, Andorra, 2007, the
Virgin of Sabart, who appeared
to Emperor Charlemagne.
22 Delcampe Magazine
to cut a large rock into a chair When morning came, on their
and rested there (4). leader’s orders, the entire army
The “House of Charlemagne”, lo- gathered at the place of the ap-
cated near Sant-Julia de Loria, is parition. Two white heifers, which
part of the same tradition. At the the king himself led, stopped and
top of a steep slope is a 100-me- the ploughshare discovered a
tre rock called Puy de l’Olivesa. It bronze statue which was set on
is topped by the Bastida de Pons, an improvised altar of stones. An
a farm which is visible from the invisible hand had engraved the
road (5). The buildings were built words: “Our Lady of Victory”.
on the ruins of a fortress of which The king decided to take the
the chapel still remains. Charle- Virgin of Victory to the new
magne apparently stayed there. Abbey of Saint-Volusien in Foix,
Before the fire of 1865, people but it returned twice to where it
had first appeared. That left no
the emperor spent the night. room for doubt. Jesus’ Mother
In addition, the road which would be honoured in this un-
leads from Port de Siguer to the cultured land. He ordered that a
Ariège Valley, takes us through chapel be built on this now-divine
Tarascon-sur-Ariège where land and called it Sabart (6). An
another legend associates annual pilgrimage was devoted
Charlemagne with this region. to the emperor’s victory.
In 778, around 8 September, ac-
cording to legend, the Carolingian The foundation of Andorra by
emperor set up camp around Charlemagne
Tarascon to engage bands of Stamps issued in 1963 and in
Saracens. While they were pur- 2002 evoke the foundation of
suing one of the bands through Andorra by Louis the Debonaire
the valley, during a stormy night, in the case of the former (7) and
he wanted to inspect the area Charlemagne, in the case of the
with one of his knights. His horse latter (8).
suddenly stopped at the foot of The date 784 appearing on
a mountain. Charlemagne spur- these postcards causes dif-
red the flanks of his steed three ficulties for two reasons:
times but the animal wouldn’t there is absolutely no record
move, then backed away. He had of an expedition against the
come face-to-face with a group Saracens that year, al-
of spies. Charlemagne got off his though Louis the Debonaire
horse, joined his companion and, (778- 840) became King of
with his sword, dispatched the Acquitaine in 781, he was only
Saracens. six years old in 784.
A luminous Virgin appeared On the other hand, La Carta Pobla
where his horse had reared up, (town charter) - kept in the cathe-
and disappeared immediately. dral of Seo de Urgel - indicates