Right in the middle of the Massif Central, 78km from St-Étienne and 132km from Clermont, LE PUY-EN-VELAY , often shortened to Le Puy, is one of the most remarkable towns in the whole of France.
Both landscape and architecture are totally theatrical. Slung between
the higher mountains to east and west, the landscape erupts in a chaos
of volcanic acne: everywhere is a confusion of abrupt conical hills,
scarred with dark outcrops of rock and topknotted with woods. Even in
the centre of the town, these volcanic thrusts burst through.
In
the past, Le Puy enjoyed influence and prosperity because of its
ecclesiastical institutions. It was - and in a limited way, still is -
a centre for pilgrims embarking on the 1600-kilometre trek to Santiago
de Compostela. The actual starting point is place du Plot (also the
scene of a lively Saturday market) and rue St-Jacques. History has it
that Le Puy's Bishop Godescalk, in the tenth century, was the first
pilgrim to make the journey. During the the Wars of Religion the town
managed to resist the Protestant fervour of much of the Massif Central.
Today, however, it has fallen somewhat on hard times, and its
traditional industries - tanning and lace - have essentially gone bust.
Even today Le Puy is somewhat inaccessible for the capital of a département
: the three main roads out all cross passes more than 1000m high, which
causes problems in winter. But it is far from run-down. And it still
produces its famous green lentils.
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