Clermont-Ferrand Cathedral

Clermont-Ferrand Cathedral seen from the Parc de Montjuvet. Wikimedia (Creative Commons)

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 (Creative Commons)

Statue of the Virgin Mary on the roof Otourly/Wikimedia (Creative Commons)

The nave of the cathedral Wikimedia (Creative Commons)

Automata clock Sergey Prokopenko/Wikimedia (Creative Commons)

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)

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)

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)

durijac (Atlas Obscura User)

Xavixavir (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)

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)

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.