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| St. Michael's Chapel(Chapel in Aiguilhe),Le Puy-en-Velay, France |
Saint-Michel d'Aiguilhe is a
Chapel in Aiguilhe, near
Le Puy-en-Velay, France,
built in 962 on a volcanic formation 85 meters (279 ft) high. The
chapel is reached by 268 steps carved into the rock. It was built to
celebrate the return from the pilgrimage of
Saint James. In 1429, the
mother of Joan of Arc, Isabelle Romée, was said to have come to the site to pray.
The basalt needle of Le Puy has been regarded as sacred probably since it was first spotted by humans. Three great stones incorporated into
St. Michael's Chapel are thought to be the remains of a
prehistoric dolmen built at the top. Later, the
Romans worshiped
Mercury - the swift messenger god with winged shoes - at the site.
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| St. Michael's Chapel(Chapel in Aiguilhe),Le Puy-en-Velay, France |
When the area was
Christianized, the rock was consecrated to
St. Michael the Archangel, who is the patron of many high places throughout Europe. The Chapel of St. Michael was built by
Bishop Godescalc and the Deacon Trianus in
962.
It was a simple shrine built on a central plan: a square sanctuary a
tiny apsidal on each side. This original sanctuary and two of the
apsidal still survive today. In the
12th century, the
chapel was significantly enlarged by adding a short nave west of the
original sanctuary, an elliptical ambulatory, two side chapels, a
narthex with an upper gallery, a carved portal, and a bell tower. The
10th-century frescoes
were repainted in the original style and more were added. The bell
tower fell down in 1275 and was not reconstructed until the 19th
century. Removal of the plaster in the chapel in about 1850 revealed the
magnificent 10th and 12th-century frescoes. A century later, in 1955,
archaeologists discovered a treasure trove of sacred objects in the altar, which are now displayed behind an iron grate in the wall.
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