Le Puy en Velay

When a bishop, Godescalc, took a stroll to Santiago Di Compostella in 951, he put his town on the map as it became a focal point for fellow pilgrims. The fortified area around the cathedral is still in good condition and used for different civic endeavours.
In the treasury, apart from this intricately carved oliphant, can be found a metal bit for Emperor Constantine's horse; made from nails taken from the True Cross.
The locals hung out the bunting on the day I visited.
This chapel is all that remains of a hospice for pilgrims.
The 8th of Sept is feted normally as the birthday of the Madonna who has been venerated here since the 4th century in the form of a black Madonna. In 1855 this date coincided with an important French victory at Sebastapol. The Lord Bishop of Puy, by then a wealthy and influential man, linking the two events, had the cannons returned, melted down and cast as the statue of the Madonna overlooking the town from its vantage point at 748m on top of Mount Anis.Read more