Le Puy-en-Velay

Le Puy-en-Velay

France
formerly (until 1988)  Le Puy, 

      town, capital of Haute-Loire département, Auvergne région, south-central France. Le Puy-en-Velay is situated in the Massif Central, at 2,067 feet (630 m) above sea level, 2 miles (3 km) from the left bank of the Loire River. It lies in the middle of a basin that is surrounded by basalt plateaus bristling with strange volcanic peaks. The town was already a Christian centre in the 4th century. After Muslim invasions forced the neighbouring bishop to seek refuge there in the 6th century, Le Puy became one of the main pilgrimage centres in France. During the Wars of Religion, in the latter part of the 16th century, it sided with the Catholic League.

      On the highest hill in the town, called Corneille Peak, a red cast-iron statue (53 feet high) of Our Lady of France was erected in 1860. At the foot of the hill, on a platform surrounded by the steep narrow streets of the Old Town, stands the 11th–12th-century Romanesque Cathedral of Notre-Dame, which shows Byzantine influence in its octagonal cupolas and decoration. The adjacent cloister is mainly Romanesque but has Carolingian capitals. On the outskirts of the town a volcanic needle some 260 feet (80 m) high is crowned by a 10th–11th-century church, Saint-Michel-d'Aiguilhe, that was ingeniously designed to cover the irregular surface of the rock. About 3 miles (5 km) away, the ruined 14th-century castle of Polignac stands on a basalt plateau rising sheer from the plain.

      Le Puy-en-Velay is an administrative and service centre. The lure of the historic core of the town has encouraged the development of tourism. Lace making has been carried out since the 17th century; a fine collection of lace is kept in the Crozatier Museum. Le Puy-en-Velay's diverse industrial activities include food processing and the manufacture of machinery, plastics, rubber, paper and packaging, and textiles. Pop. (1999) 20,490; (2005 est.) 19,300.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • PUY (-EN-VELAY), LE — PUY ( EN VELAY), LE, town in the department of Haute Loire, S. France. The Jewish quarter of Le Puy, on the site of the Rue de la Juiverie, is first mentioned in 1212. There is no other information available on the early medieval community there …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Puy en Velay — (spr. Pü ang Wlä), so v.w. le Puy …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Puy le Velay — (–Wläh), Hauptst. des Depart. Ober Loire, an der Loire, ist Bischofssitz, hat 16000 E., gothische Kathedrale mit einem Gnadenbilde der Mutter Gottes, großartige Fabrikation von Spitzen, Musselin und Tüll …   Herders Conversations-Lexikon

  • Puy-en-Velay — Le Puy en Velay Le Puy en Velay Détail Administration …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Puy en Velay — Le Puy en Velay Le Puy en Velay Détail Administration …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Puy-en-Velay — Le Puy en Velay …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Puy-en-Velay (Arrondissement) — Arrondissement Puy en Velay Staat Frankreich Region Auvergne Département Haute Loire Präfektur Le Puy en Velay Einwohner – insgesamt –  …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Le Puy-en-Velay — 45° 02′ 39″ N 3° 53′ 09″ E / 45.0441666667, 3.88583333333 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Le Puy-En-Velay — Détail Administration …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Le Puy en Velay — Détail Administration …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Le puy-en-velay — Détail Administration …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”