Camino Photo of the Day: Saint Michel d’Aiguilhe

The city of Le Puy-en-Velay and its surrounding towns and villages are built inside a long extinct volcanic caldera. After millions of years of weathering and erosion, you get some interesting terrain features, including this granite spire, atop of which is built the church of Saint Michel d’Aiguilhe – literally “Saint Michael of the needle”. Construction of this church, dedicated to Saint Michael the Archangel, was completed in AD 962. It was built on the orders of the Bishop Godescalc of Le Puy-en-Velay to celebrate the successful completion of his pilgrimage to Santiago – the first by a non-Spanish cleric – in AD 951. And it’s where I headed next.

Date: 17 August 2023
Place: Le Puy-en-Velay, Haute-Loire Département, Region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France

Maps!