The episcopal city is reached from the Place de Tables via rue des Tables, the latter’s flights of steps lined by old houses. A majestic staircase and the multicoloured lava-stone façade of the cathedral lie ahead, opening onto a well-preserved distr..

A marvellous Romanesque-style building whose originality owes much to its oriental influence: inside, the nave is crowned by a series of cupolas. The cathedral’s main features are its steep site, which appears to defy the laws of balance, its multico..

Treasure Island was the name given to the old episcopal city overlooking the upper town. From Place des Tables, via streets lined with old houses, you reach the magnificent Romanesque cathedral of Notre Dame , which shows distinct oriental influence..

A large number of works of art are displayed in the old Salle des États du Velay , including an 11C silk cope and a remarkable 15C parchment . Other exhibits include “Genesis: from the creation of the world to the Resurrection”, panels carved by P..

Adhering to the north of the cathedral it's made up of galleries from different ages, the oldest being Romanesque. There is a remarkable Romanesque Grille which encloses the west gallery and all around the cloister runs a delicately decorated corni..

This beautiful, orientally inspired 10C Romanesque chapel on top of the St Michel rock is crowned by a 82m-high lava stone spire. Note its trefoil door, its graceful arabesque patterns and its black, grey and white stone mosaics. 10C murals adorn the..

Bordered by a ring of boulevards beyond which the modern city extends outwards, the vieille ville is home to tall red-roofed houses clustered around the Corneille rock. The Place des Tables , beneath the cathedral, commands an impressive view of t..

http://www.zevisit.com/Columbus/partenaire/ETAPE/FLUXXMLDOWNLOAD/US/VIAMICHELIN/3444/etape-audio.mp3

Standing next to the pretty 16C façade of the building at nº 8, the Hôtel de Marminhac has round arches with keystones decorated with sculpted masks.

This square, where the stocks once stood, comes alive at weekends when a market is set up around the Fontaine de la Bidoire , built in 1246.

The 15C Hôtel du Lac de Fugères stands at the corner of rue Roche-Taillade. Further on, at nº 8, admire the Hôtel de Polignac , also dating from the 15C, with its polygonal tower.

This small square, just in front of the Porche du For, has a fine view of the new town and the cathedral bell tower, a seven-storey pyramidal structure, at a slight distance from the chevet.

This imposing “machicolated” building, behind the chapel of the Hôtel-Dieu, was part of the fortifications of the cathedral and bishop’s palace in the 13C.

The chapel owes its name to the gilded altarpiece in which relics brought to Notre-Dame du Puy were kept, until the Revolution. Formerly the library of Saint-Mayol university, it is decorated with the famous 15C painting of the liberal arts (depict..

This partially pedestrianised street is lined with elegant 16C and 17C Renaissance houses, their corbelled façades occasionally flanked by a tower or a bartizan (n os 16, 18, 23) To the right, the narrow side streets have kept their medieval charact..

This chapel contains a gallery decorated with paintings, panelled walls in its single nave, and a coffered ceiling narrating the life of the Virgin Mary. Note several processional staffs, still carried to this day by the members of this brotherhood o..

Until the Revolution, this baptistery was used by all the parishes of Le Puy. The southern entrance is guarded by stone lions. Inside, note the pyramidal baptismal font.

A learning presentation about the history and techniques of lace (video) and the teaching centre where you can be initiated into the making of spindles (lessons on the hour)

This is a 16C house on five levels