Sally and Lee drove from Chambéry in the French Alps to visit me on March 19. We spent the day visiting my near-by "must see" city. We strolled down the narrow streets of the old quarter, had lunch in one of my favorite restaurants in Puy called La Taverne de Maître Kanter and then hiked up to the beautiful Romanesque church, Cathédrale Notre Dame de Puy. The church is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and owes its appearance to the influence of the Orient; the Byzantine details are a result of the crusades. The church is built of polychrome lava and balanced atop the a narrow pinnacle, reachable only by a long flight of steps. The steps lead to the main door under the four bays built in the 12 century. At the level of the second bay, two 12C doors close off two side chapels: their faint decoration in relief recounts the life of Christ. In the Middle Ages, pilgrimages to Le Puy were popular since it was a departure point for pilgrimages to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Along, with Chartres, Le Puy is the oldest site of Marian worship in France.
No comments:
Post a Comment