Le Puy-en-Velay ( fr. Le Puy-en-Velay , aux . Lo Puèi de Velai ) is the main city of the historical region of Vele in Auvergne (highlands of the Central Massif ), department of Haute-Loire . The population is 18 879 people (2008).
| Le Puy-en-Velay | |||||
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| Le puy-en-velay | |||||
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| A country |  France | ||||
| Region | Auvergne | ||||
| The Department | Upper loire | ||||
| County | Vann | ||||
| The mayor | Michel Chapuis | ||||
| History and Geography | |||||
| Area | 16.79 km² | ||||
| Center height | |||||
| Timezone | and | ||||
| Population | |||||
| Population | 18 879 people ( 2008 ) | ||||
| Density | 1124.42 people / km² | ||||
| Digital identifiers | |||||
| Postcode | 43000 | ||||
| lepuyenvelay.fr (fr.) | |||||
The city has been known since antiquity . In the Middle Ages - a major religious center, the residence of bishops - counts , one of whom in 951 was the first in France to make a pilgrimage to the shrine of St. Jacob in Compostel . Since then, one of the roads of St. Jacob - so-called. Via Podiensis .
The bishops of Le Puy were to defend their rights to the city from the oppression of the local feudal lords of the Polignac clan and the claims of the counts of Auvergne . In this they were favored by the French monarchs, many of whom made a pilgrimage to the local shrine of Our Lady. The most famous of these bishops was Ademar Monteilsky , the spiritual leader of the First Crusade .
Perhaps the influence of the architecture of the Middle East explains the unusual appearance of the Notre Dame Cathedral , which was built during it in Le Puy. This monument, as if hovering over a city, is listed by UNESCO as one of the World Heritage sites associated with the ways of St. Jacob.
Famous Natives
- Kotte, Charles (1863-1925) - French painter, graphic artist.
| Square with a fountain | Facade of Notre Dame Cathedral | Chapel on the rock of Aiguille | The chapel in the photograph of 1915 |