Photo: Daniel Giffard, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Chapel on a 85 m high volcanic plug.
Saint-Michel d'Aiguilhe is a chapel in Aiguilhe, near Le Puy-en-Velay, France. The chapel is reached by 268 steps carved into the rock. It was built in 969 on a volcanic plug 85 metres (279 ft) high. The surface on top of the plug is 57 metres (187 ft) in diameter.
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An historic hospital that began operating around 1140 to receive pilgrims.
Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-l'Annonciation
Parts of the cathedral, probably built on a former pagan site, stem from the 5th century, although most of the present cathedral was built in the 12th century. Charlemagne made the pilgrimage to Le Puy twice. There is a copy (the original is destroyed) of an ivory image of Virgin Mary brought from the Holy Land by Saint Louis, king of France. Each morning pilgrims starting their journey to Santiago de Compostela gather in the cathedral to be blessed.