<< Our Photo Pages >> Dolmen de Saint-Michel d'Aiguilhe - Burial Chamber or Dolmen in France in Auvergne:Haute-Loire (43)
Submitted by TheCaptain on Thursday, 17 February 2011 Page Views: 3511
Neolithic and Bronze AgeSite Name: Dolmen de Saint-Michel d'AiguilheCountry: France
NOTE: This site is 1.771 km away from the location you searched for.
Département: Auvergne:Haute-Loire (43) Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen
Nearest Town: Le Puy-en-Velay
Latitude: 45.049900N Longitude: 3.882500E
Condition:
5 | Perfect |
4 | Almost Perfect |
3 | Reasonable but with some damage |
2 | Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site |
1 | Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks |
0 | No data. |
-1 | Completely destroyed |
5 | Superb |
4 | Good |
3 | Ordinary |
2 | Not Good |
1 | Awful |
0 | No data. |
5 | Can be driven to, probably with disabled access |
4 | Short walk on a footpath |
3 | Requiring a bit more of a walk |
2 | A long walk |
1 | In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find |
0 | No data. |
5 | co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates |
4 | co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map |
3 | co-ordinates scaled from a bad map |
2 | co-ordinates of the nearest village |
1 | co-ordinates of the nearest town |
0 | no data |
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TheCaptain visited on 28th Jul 2005 - their rating: Cond: -1 Amb: 5 Access: 3 The 11th century Chapel St Michel is built on the ridiculously pointed site of the volcanic Aighuille. But it is built on top of the site of a previous chapel, which was said to have been built on top of a dolmen, or some other megalithic structure.
From http://www.sacred-destinations.com/france/le-puy-st-michael-chapel
An especially dramatic part of the volcanic landscape of the Auvergne, 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 worshipped Mercury - the swift messenger god with winged shoes - at the site. 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 apsidole on each side. This original sanctuary and two of the apsidoles still survive today. The chapel attracted many pilgrims, especially since Le Puy was the starting point for one of the main routes to Santiago de Compostela.
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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