Le Puy Cathedral

Le Puy Cathedral is in Le Puy-en-Velay, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France and is a historic Marian pilgrimage cathedral and one of the principal French starting points of the Camino de Santiago, especially the Via Podiensis.. A Christian sanctuary existed on the site by late antiquity. The present cathedral was substantially developed in the 11th and 12th centuries and enlarged as pilgrimage increased.

Le Puy became a major Marian destination and an important French departure point for pilgrims travelling along the Via Podiensis toward Santiago de Compostela. Architecturally, the site is principally Romanesque with regional and Mediterranean influences. Its documented heritage context includes Major Romanesque Marian and Compostela pilgrimage cathedral; it is also recorded as Component of Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France — World Heritage Site (1998).

The cathedral is closely associated with devotion to the Virgin and the Black Madonna of Le Puy. Traditions concerning the image and early miracles are religious narratives distinct from securely documented construction history. Religious life or devotional practice associated with the site includes Mass, Marian prayer, and pilgrim blessing. Recorded observances include Compostela pilgrim liturgies and Marian feasts.