1936

16th August: Poulenc travelled from his house at Le Grand Coteau at Noizay to the Hôtel du Commerce in Uzerche (Buckland, S., 'Francis Poulenc: Echo and Source', Victor Gollanz Ltd, 1991, p.107)

22nd August: Makes the 45 km journey from his hotel to the town of Rocamadour. Here he comes face to face with the black Madonna housed in La Chapelle Notre-Dame. He buys a small icon with a litany written on the back.(Burton, R.D.E., 'Francis Poulenc', Absolute Press, 2002, p.65)

29th August: Using a prayer on the reverse of an icon as a starting point, the first major religious choral work Litanies À La Vierge Noire is completed.