Saint-Michel d'Aiguilhe (St. Michael of the Needle) is a

chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common type ...

Aiguilhe Aiguilhe () is a commune in the Haute-Loire department in south-central France. Aiguilhe is close to Le Puy-en-Velay, and famous for the Saint Michel chapel. Raymond of Aguilers was from here. Population See also *Communes of the Haute-Loi ...

, near

Le Puy-en-Velay Le Puy-en-Velay (, literally ''Le Puy in Velay''; oc, Lo Puèi de Velai ) is the prefecture of the Haute-Loire department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of south-central France. Located near the river Loire, the city is famous for its c ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. The chapel is reached by 268 steps carved into the rock. It was built in 969 on a

volcanic plug A volcanic plug, also called a volcanic neck or lava neck, is a volcanic object created when magma hardens within a vent on an active volcano. When present, a plug can cause an extreme build-up of high gas pressure if rising volatile-charged ma ...

high. The surface on top of the plug is 57 metres (187 ft) in diameter. Bishop Godescalc of Le Puy-en-Velay had the chapel built to celebrate his return from the pilgrimage of Saint James in 951. The chapel is dedicated to the

Archangel Michael Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...

, the patron of mountaintops and other high places. A prehistoric

dolmen A dolmen () or portal tomb is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of two or more upright megaliths supporting a large flat horizontal capstone or "table". Most date from the early Neolithic (40003000 BCE) and were some ...

dedicated to Mercury by the

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

was built on the volcanic plug before the construction of the chapel. Three stones from this dolmen are said to be incorporated into the chapel. In the 12th century, the chapel was enlarged, and a

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-typ ...

ambulatory The ambulatory ( la, ambulatorium, ‘walking place’) is the covered passage around a cloister or the processional way around the east end of a cathedral or large church and behind the high altar. The first ambulatory was in France in the 11th ...

, two side chapels, a

narthex The narthex is an architectural element typical of early Christian and Byzantine basilicas and churches consisting of the entrance or lobby area, located at the west end of the nave, opposite the church's main altar. Traditionally the narth ...

, a carved

portal Portal often refers to: *Portal (architecture), an opening in a wall of a building, gate or fortification, or the extremities (ends) of a tunnel Portal may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Gaming * ''Portal'' (series), two video games ...

, more

frescoes Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster ...

, and a

bell tower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell tow ...

were added. The bell tower was built in the style of the nearby Cathedral Notre-Dame-du-Puy. In 1429, the mother of

Joan of Arc Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= �an daʁk} ; 1412 – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the coronat ...

Isabelle Romée Isabelle Romée, also known as Isabelle de Vouthon and Isabelle d'Arc (1377–1458) and Ysabeau Romee, was the mother of Joan of Arc. She grew up in Vouthon-Bas and later married Jacques d'Arc. The couple moved to Domrémy, where they owned a ...

, was thought to have come to the site to pray. File:0 1138 Le Puy-en-Velay (Frankreich) - Saint-Michel-d'Aiguiihe.jpg, Chapel Saint Michel d'Aiguilhe File:La-plaine-de-Rome-à-Aiguilhe.jpg, View from Chapel Saint Michel d'Aiguilhe File:Églse saint michel d'aiguilhe 01.jpg, Facade of Chapel Saint Michel d'Aiguilhe File:Stmichel mini.jpg, Chapel Saint Michel d'Aiguilhe lit up at night File:Saint-Michel-d'Aiguilhe Chapelle primitive.JPG, Interior of Chapel Saint Michel d'Aiguilhe File:Églse saint michel d'aiguilhe 08.jpg, Interior of Chapel Saint Michel d'Aiguilhe File:Chapelle Saint Michel d'Aiguilhe.jpg, Exterior and facade of Chapel Saint Michel d'Aiguilhe

References

Roman Catholic chapels in France Churches in Haute-Loire Romanesque architecture in France Volcanic plugs of Europe {{France-church-stub