Eglise Saint-Pierre des Carmes

Today, at the crossroads of major thoroughfares, between the main post office and the train station, the church is a cherished landmark for the town's inhabitants. The original church consisted of a porch, a six-bay nave, and a five-sided apse. Over the centuries, the building, constructed primarily of volcanic breccia, has been remodeled several times.

The church we know today is the result of major works carried out between 1862 and 1866, and then again in 1945 with the construction of side aisles connected to the nave by wide pointed arches. The building thus doubled in width and now has three naves.
The facade overlooking the Dolaizon has two three-story octagonal bell towers, framing a central gable pierced with a rose window.
Modern stained glass windows by Watkin (1968) adorn the bays of the apse, the XNUMXth century stained glass windows, and those of the side aisles.

The 18th-century carved wooden pulpit and several paintings deserve attention, particularly the "Vision of Saint Francis" (1620) by the painter Guy François. The Crozatier Museum also houses the 15th-century canvas painting "Virgin of the Mantle," a masterpiece from the Carmelite monastery.

In recent years, the town of Puy-en-Velay has undertaken a major renovation of the church on the basis of a project dating from 1862, including the reconstruction of the two towers with their crowning elements, elements which had disappeared.

The stained glass windows have also been restored and some specially created in place of the windows nestled in the heart of the rose window on the western facade.