Le Puy-en-Velay

Already in a strange and extraordinary setting, dotted with volcanic peaks, the city of Le Puy-en-Velay itself is quite unique. The place is simply inspiring, and since the times of the Druids these outcrops have served other faiths : in the Middle Ages, Mount Anis was used as the pedestal for the cathedral, while the Chapelle Saint-Michel is perched vertiginously atop the Rocher d'Aiguilhe. Finally in the 19th century, the Rocher Corneille was crowned with the gigantic Notre-Dame de France statue, a symbol of Le Puy-en-Velay's Marian vocation and the subject of millennial pilgrimages. With its wealth of photographs, garnered both from roaming with an inquisitive eye and from grand events, this book demonstrates that in the heart of the Velay, great occasions are all the more attractive. See them, from Saturday markets to the Roi de l'Oiseau celebrations, in a medieval setting enhanced by the surroundings of the Haute Ville.
The photographer, Francis Debaisieux, superbly captures the fleeting emotion of these events. He also knows how to look afresh at the city's other attractions, whether local specialities, such as lace or Verveine, or the treasures guarded in its sanctuaries and the Crozatier museum.