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La Cathédrale Notre-Dame
The Cathedral of Notre-Dame-de-l'Annonciation in Le Puy-en-Velay crowns the Rocher Corneille in the heart of the old town, in the Haute-Loire. Built mainly in the 11th and 12th centuries, it received crowds of pilgrims who came to venerate its Black Virgin, and was raised to the rank of minor basilica in 1856.
Its Romanesque architecture is enriched with Byzantine influences, seen in the domes over the nave and in the polychrome façades of black, white and red volcanic stone. The steep site required an original solution: the last bays of the nave rest on powerful pillars, as if suspended over the void, and the great entrance stairway passes beneath them before emerging in the nave.
The cathedral is one of the starting points of the Via Podiensis, a pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1998 as part of the Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France. A museum traces the history of the building and its treasures.
