Cathédrale Notre-Dame du Puy
The Puy-en-Velay Cathedral, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998, was ranked the 2nd most popular monument among the French in the program presented on France 2 by Stéphane Bern in 2015.
After an initial church built in the 5th century, the cathedral was erected on Mount Anis. In the 12th century, the influx of pilgrims led to the addition of four bays above a vaulted porch to compensate for the slope of Mount Anis. Entry was via a staircase that opened into the middle of the nave.
In the 1994th century, the building was considerably transformed, but the six domes and admirable painted decorations have been preserved. From 1999 to XNUMX, an overall restoration enabled the restoration of the central staircase closed in the XNUMXth century, the repair of the interior facings and the reassembly of the organ with its double-sided case from the XNUMXth century.
A new altar was placed at the crossing of the transept, while the altar of the "pilgrims", against the wall, bears the "Black Virgin" which replaced the primitive statue, burned during the Revolution.
See:
134th century cedar doors, murals, frescoes, statue of the Black Madonna, Pierre des Fièvres, paintings. Precious treasure in the sacristy: pietà, head of Christ from the XNUMXth century. Grand staircase of XNUMX steps to access the cathedral.
You will find a souvenir coin (Shell) in the vending machine inside the Cathedral. Saint-Jacques and the NDF statue) at a price of €3.
Two other currencies are available in the shop:
– One with the facade of the Cathedral, machicolations and the Statue of Our Lady
– One from the Monnaie de Paris (Paris Mint) featuring the façade of the Cathedral and the scallop shell Saint-Jacques
Daily evening entertainment, consult the website.
Pilgrims' Mass at 7:00 am every day from April to October.
Mass at 7:30 am from November to March, Monday to Friday, at the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament.
Mass at 10:30 every day from Monday to Saturday in the Chapel of Relics.
Mass at 10:30 am on Sunday in the cathedral.
The Cathedral is Romanesque in style, but shows various influences especially Bysantine ones.
Under the main entrance, check out the “cedar doors” (the 12th century cedar doors) and the internal staircase (sometimes open in summer)
the first steps of which can be seen under the nave. The choir area of the cathedral is built directly on the rock, but when the cathedral had to be enlarged in the 11th and 12th centuries in order to accommodate the increasing number of pilgrims, four additional bays were audaciously built over the void in order to compensate for the difference in level of 17 meters.
Several impressive pillars hold up the high arches.
Certifications & Labels
- World Heritage (UNESCO)
Themes
Location details
- Downtown
- In the city
- Pedestrian zone
- In the historic center
Visit
Language(s) of the visit
Individual visit services
- Unguided individual tours permanently
Group visit services
- Unguided group tours permanently
- Guided group tours on request
Opening
Prices
Services
Services
Home animals
Accessible tourism
Physical disability
Entry is free for the person with a disability and one accompanying person. As it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to reach the Cathedral in a wheelchair, people with reduced mobility are permitted to come by car year-round and park right next to the accessible entrance (information obtained from the Sacristy: +33 4 71 05 98 74). Please note that the cloister is unfortunately not accessible.
