Haute-Loire: Le Puy-en-Velay and Volcanic Pilgrimage Country
Haute-Loire sits in the Auvergne uplands, a department of volcanic landscapes and religious heritage. Le Puy-en-Velay, the prefecture, is built around volcanic pinnacles topped by a red statue of the Virgin (the Notre-Dame de France, cast from Russian cannon captured at Sebastopol), a Romanesque chapel (Saint-Michel d'Aiguilhe perched on a needle of basalt), and a cathedral that is a starting point for the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage.
The department has about 228,000 residents. Lace-making (dentelle du Puy) is a traditional craft. The Loire river begins in the department, rising on Mont Gerbier de Jonc (technically in neighbouring Ardeche but on the border). Brioude has one of the largest Romanesque churches in Auvergne. The landscape is rugged, forested, and sparsely inhabited, with harsh winters at altitude.
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Haute-Loire sits in the Auvergne uplands, a department of volcanic landscapes and religious heritage. Le Puy-en-Velay, the prefecture, is built around volcanic pinnacles topped by a red statue of the Virgin (the Notre-Dame de France, cast from Russian cannon captured at Sebastopol), a Romanesque chapel (Saint-Michel d'Aiguilhe perched on a needle of basalt), and a cathedral that is a starting point for the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage.
The department has about 228,000 residents. Lace-making (dentelle du Puy) is a traditional craft. The Loire river begins in the department, rising on Mont Gerbier de Jonc (technically in neighbouring Ardeche but on the border). Brioude has one of the largest Romanesque churches in Auvergne. The landscape is rugged, forested, and sparsely inhabited, with harsh winters at altitude.
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