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All France Clermont-Ferrand Clermont-Ferrand Cathedral

Clermont-Ferrand Cathedral

A Gothic cathedral created from volcanic rocks.

Clermont-Ferrand, France

Added By
Allison Meier
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Clermont-Ferrand Cathedral seen from the Parc de Montjuvet.   Wikimedia
Below the spires of the Clermont-Ferrand Cathedral.   Allison / Atlas Obscura User
Clermont-Ferrand Cathedral from the Place de la Victoire.   Allison / Atlas Obscura User
View from the roof   Otourly/Wikimedia
Statue of the Virgin Mary on the roof   Otourly/Wikimedia
The nave of the cathedral   Wikimedia
Automata clock   Sergey Prokopenko/Wikimedia
View from les cotes de Clermont: la cathédrale gothique Notre-Dame de l’Assomption à Clermont-Ferrand   dancooper305 / Atlas Obscura User
View of the Cathedral from Place de la Victoire during the Marche de Noel (note the statute of Pope Urbain II adjacent to the tall pole)   dancooper305 / Atlas Obscura User
Sign inside the cathedral at the north entrance informing visitors that they can climb the north tower, for a small fee paid to the sexton.   dancooper305 / Atlas Obscura User
Our Lady of the Assumption Cathedral in Clermont-Ferrand seen at night from above Place de Jaude   dancooper305 / Atlas Obscura User
The cathedral dominates the valley that the city of Clermont-Ferrand sits in   dancooper305 / Atlas Obscura User
The north side of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, Clermont-Ferrand, France   dancooper305 / Atlas Obscura User
The Cathedral of Notre Dame of the Assumption during the Marche de Noel, as seen from Place de la Victoire. Pope Urbain II’s statue is lit in red.   dancooper305 / Atlas Obscura User
Cathedral of Notre Dame de l’Assomption / Clermont-Ferrand, France   dancooper305 / Atlas Obscura User
rue de Gras leads up to the cathedral from the tram tracks on Av. Des Etats-Unis.   dancooper305 / Atlas Obscura User
The cathedral during Fete de la Musique from the bottom of rue de Gras.   dancooper305 / Atlas Obscura User
The south side of the cathedral in Clermont-Ferrand as seen from Place de la Victoire   dancooper305 / Atlas Obscura User
The ominously black lava rock cathedral presides over a makeshift band during Fete da la Musique   dancooper305 / Atlas Obscura User
The south side of the Cathedral in Clermont-Ferrand during the winter   dancooper305 / Atlas Obscura User
Cathedrale de Notre Dame de l’Assomption / Clermont-Ferrand, France in winter   dancooper305 / Atlas Obscura User
The cathedral in winter.   dancooper305 / Atlas Obscura User
The interior of the cathédrale Notre-Dame de l’Assomption à Clermont-Ferrand   dancooper305 / Atlas Obscura User
The cathedral in Clermont-Ferrand at night, with Christmas lights near city hall to the north of the cathedral   dancooper305 / Atlas Obscura User
The cathedral in Clermont-Ferrand as seen from nearby Parc Montjuzet   dancooper305 / Atlas Obscura User
Sign inside the cathedral at the north entrance informing visitors that they can climb the north tower, for a small fee paid to the sexton.   dancooper305 / Atlas Obscura User
Inside the cathedral, the 16th century clock is sounded by automatons of Mars and Faunus beating the elderly head of Time.   dancooper305 / Atlas Obscura User
From the rooftop of the cathedral, looking between the two spires, the cathedral looks up to Puy de Dome, a dormant Pelean volcano crowned by an ancient Roman temple of Mercury.   dancooper305 / Atlas Obscura User
Looking across the top of the cathedral in Clermont-Ferrand. (The wide angle view has flattened out the Chaine des Puys, the volcanic mountain chain the cathedral faces to the west   dancooper305 / Atlas Obscura User
Looking across the top of the cathedral in Clermont-Ferrand. (The wide angle view has flattened out the Chaine des Puys, the volcanic mountain chain the cathedral faces to the west   dancooper305 / Atlas Obscura User
Looking across the top of the cathedral in Clermont-Ferrand. (The wide angle view has flattened out the Chaine des Puys, the volcanic mountain chain the cathedral faces to the west   dancooper305 / Atlas Obscura User
Looking across the top of the cathedral in Clermont-Ferrand. (The wide angle view has flattened out the Chaine des Puys, the volcanic mountain chain the cathedral faces to the west   dancooper305 / Atlas Obscura User
A gargoyle atop the roof of the cathedral in Clermont-Ferrand   dancooper305 / Atlas Obscura User
The top of a gargoyle on the cathedral in Clermont-Ferrand, showing the channel for the water to flow.   dancooper305 / Atlas Obscura User
Statuary mounted atop the cathedral in Clermont-Ferrand, France   dancooper305 / Atlas Obscura User
The roofline of the cathedral in Clermont-Ferrand, France   dancooper305 / Atlas Obscura User
The golden ball – and lightning rods – at the top of the north tower of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption in Clermont-Ferrand, France   dancooper305 / Atlas Obscura User
From the rooftop of the cathedral, looking between the two spires, the cathedral looks up to Puy de Dome, a dormant Pelean volcano crowned by an ancient Roman temple of Mercury.   dancooper305 / Atlas Obscura User
Statuary mounted atop the cathedral in Clermont-Ferrand, France   dancooper305 / Atlas Obscura User
The statue of the Virgin Mary atop the cathedral in Clermont-Ferrand, France   dancooper305 / Atlas Obscura User
The north tower, looking up from the esplanade to the north of the cathedral. Inside these doors is the entrance to the spiral staircase leading to the rooftop.   dancooper305 / Atlas Obscura User
  massimiliano20097 / Atlas Obscura User
  coljay72 / Atlas Obscura User
  Xavixavir / Atlas Obscura User
  coljay72 / Atlas Obscura User
  durijac / Atlas Obscura User
  durijac / Atlas Obscura User
At the front steps of la cathédrale gothique Notre-Dame de l’Assomption à Clermont-Ferrand   dancooper305 / Atlas Obscura User
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Constructed entirely from black lava rocks, the Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption in Clermont-Ferrand looms ominously on a hill in the center of the French town. The largest chain of dormant volcanoes in Europe surrounds Clermont-Ferrand, and many of its old buildings were built from the volcanic stones.

The Gothic cathedral is the third Christian church to be erected on the spot, and remnants of the previous structures, including a crypt from the 10th century, were incorporated into its foundation. Construction on the cathedral began in 1248, but interruptions by the Hundred Years’ War and French Revolution did not allow for its completion until 1902. The cathedral and the town are dominated by its twin spires, which soar to 108 meters and face the Puy-de-Dôme, the largest of the neighboring dormant volcanoes.

Light filters into the cathedral through 13th and 14th century stained glass windows of saints and their martyrdoms, but the dark stone columns still make the nave a somber and shadowy place. The stone ceiling reaches to 30 meters and a 16th century clock is sounded by automatons of Mars and Faunus beating the elderly head of Time. Outside, gargoyles pour water from their open mouths when storms pass over Clermont-Ferrand and the adjacent Place de la Victoire holds a statue of Pope Urban II, who launched the first crusade from Clermont-Ferrand in 1095.

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Churches Volcanoes Architectural Oddities Sacred Spaces Architecture Geology

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Walk uphill from the train station. FlyKiss fly from Luton to Clermont Ferrand.

Community Contributors

Added By

Allison

Edited By

littleturtle, kostas1964ath, dancooper305, straycatd...

  • littleturtle
  • kostas1964ath
  • dancooper305
  • straycatd
  • Xavixavir
  • massimiliano20097
  • nicostradella
  • coljay72
  • durijac

Published

April 21, 2010

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Sources
  • http://www.clermont-ferrand.fr
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clermont-Ferrand_Cathedral
  • https://vimeo.com/29223304
  • http://www.scholares.net/index.php?Gazetteer-Clermont-Ferrand
Clermont-Ferrand Cathedral
Rue Verdier Latour
Clermont-Ferrand, 63000
France
45.778724, 3.085733
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