Orcival church, a stop on our way to Clermont Ferrand |
Virgin and Child |
Volcano Ridge, known as La Chaine des Puys |
Clermont-Ferrand is located in the volcano
area of the Massif Central. The 10 000 years old volcanic Puy mountains
gave birth to more than 100 volcanoes.
One of the most famous is the Puy de Dome (1645 m/ 4,800 feet). |
Basaltic formation in Clermont-Ferrand vicinity |
Suc Maurice |
The volcanoes have been dormant since about
4040 B.C.
The cones of many of those former volcanoes are called "sucs", or "puys" |
| One of those basaltic cones, the Mont Gerbier
de Jonc, is the source of the Loire river, the largest river in France.
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Mont Gerbier de Jonc |
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The Cathedral Notre-Dame de l'Assomption in
Clermont-Ferrand
was mainly built between 1248 and 1355. However, the two steeples
were added in the 19th Century and finished in 1902.
Its 13th century stained-glass windows come from the same shop where the windows of the Sainte Chapelle in Paris were made.They were given by King Louix IX (St Louis) in 1262 for the wedding of his son Philippe with Isabella of Aragon. On the photo to the left, one can see the Puy de Dome with its observatory. One can also see the ruins of a Gallo-Roman temple dedicated to Mercury. For more pictures click on Clermont-Ferrand |
A bridge in the Massif Central |
