La Chaise-Dieu, gothic work and volcanoes

La Chaise-Dieu features high on the list of must-see heritage attractions in the Livradois-Forez region, and its important Benedictine abbey carries a fascinating history. Explore its old granite buildings and streets steeped in history, and breathe in the seamless symbiosis between built heritage and raw nature in this unspoilt conservation-area setting. Start planning your trip out for a deeply-textured experience in the heart of the Auvergne.

Explore the Auvergne’s Gothic architecture the monumental abbey church of Saint-Robert in Chaise-Dieu

As soon as you arrive, you will inevitably gravitate towards the famous Abbaye de la Chaise-Dieu. A stroll around the village of La Chaise-Dieu, with its peaceful courtyards, squares and narrow streets lined with old houses, is a journey in itself for travellers in search of bucolic feel and authenticity.

La Chaise-Dieu abbey, with its imposing Gothic-architecture abbey complex, is a masterpiece of Southern French Gothic architecture and a site that played a pivotal role in Europe’s religious history. It embodies the cultural and architectural wealth of the Middle Ages, as showcased in the tomb of Pope Clement VI surrounded by 144 carved oak stalls, and the Danse Macabre mural fresco.

Les faces cachées de la cité médiévale de La Chaise-Dieu

La Chaise-Dieu abbey, the tour

The site has so much to unveil that the abbey has recently created an interpretative, immersive trail that beckons visitors into 1,000 years of history and architecture. The trail showcases the abbey’s iconic spaces, such as the Gothic cloister and the echo room with its spine-tingling acoustic phenomena. Some new spaces have been opened up, including the Clement VI room housed in the former kitchens, equipped with a théâtre optique that tells the story of how Pope Clement VI built the church complex.

A stopover in La Chaise-Dieu also means taking the time to aimlessly wander its winding streets. This medieval walled town revolves around Chaise-Dieu abbey. Discover houses with ancient façades that now hosted artisan studios and culture-forward cafés.

Don’t miss La Casa d’Art. Since 2004, a hub federating and community of arts and crafts professionals who open their shops and studios to visitors all year round. The artisans at La Casa d’Art—from stoneware potters to ceramicists, woodturners to lutemakers—stage exhibitions and hands-on workshops for adults and children alike. The collective organises a nationally-important arts and crafts festival called the Biennale des Métiers d’Art that celebrates ceramic art in odd years and woodwork art in even years.

As you drift around the old centre, don’t forget to lift your eyes and take in the Tour Clémentine, a fortified keep that stands as the highest point in the town. In the 14th century, the keep, with its inside water-well, was crucial in enabling the monks to survive a three-week siege by the Huguenots and thus protect the abbey’s precious treasures and tapestries.

Every Thursday, the local gastronomy takes centrestage at the market in the main square. Yield to temptation: there are artisan butchers, charcuterie makers, deli counters, fishmongers, bakers, plus honeys, cheeses, fruit and vegetables, pot plants and flowers, that roll with the seasons. The Auvergne is blessed with many local producers offering typically flavourful produce.

La Chaise-Dieu market

Must-do activities around La Chaise-Dieu

The charms of this village will make you want to extend your stay. The region surrounding La Chaise-Dieu is dotted with tourism routes to satisfy your thirst for discovery.

Off the beaten track The Charvols arboretum

A visit to Charvols arboretum will take you around trees brought in from all over the world. The 3-hectare grounds are now home to nearly 100 different species, and wayfinding signs tell you the science and stories behind each specimen.

Family-friendly tourist-train adventuresAGRIVAP

If you want to dive even deeper into the Livradois-Forez Regional Nature Park, climb aboard an AGRIVAP tourist trains. The railway line that serves La Chaise-Dieu to Ambert takes in 42 kilometres of viaducts, tunnels, streams, and sweeping panoramic views across the Livradois.

Allègre,officially labelled ‘Petite Cité de Caractère’

Discover stunning ruins of a castle built on the summit of Baury volcano, here only “La Potence” remains, its silhouette carved out by a line of machicolations still hanging above the void. Hard to imagine that it originally counted 23 towers. There’s also a learn-as-you-play digital trail and treasure hunt, a family-friendly way to discover this medieval village. Take a quick break at La Coccinelle. For lunch, try a platter at La Part des Anges, for its rustic stone and timber feel and friendly atmosphere.

Explore the natural heritage around La Chaise-Dieu

La Chaise-Dieu looks out over exceptional natural panoramas in every direction. Gaze out to the horizon and take in the vast expanses of woodland and lush green meadows, an idyllic setting for hiking and reflection.

The bubbling, winding Senouire River, packed with trout and home to colonies of otters, draws a near full circle through the west, north and east of the town. It takes its name from the Latin sinus aureus, which means ‘golden curve’, but local dialect and tradition has translated it as ‘golden snake’. After a journey of fifty-odd kilometres, it flows into the Allier at Vieille-Brioude, shortly after running alongside Lavaudieu abbey.

The Senouire river is the link between the various hiking trails that will enable you to discover the landscapes of the Casadean plateau: forests, pastures and crops, and the wealth of its heritage: crosses, monks’ stones, chapels and railway viaduct.

Ever heard of Malaguet lake?

Malaguet lake is a 23-hectare freshwater expanse mainly used for fishing. The lake is privately owned but nevertheless open to the public, including anyone who wants to try their hand at fly fishing! Rally the ‘Maison du lac de Malaguet’ to sign up to a fly-fishing course for beginners, or to book an overnight stay with or without dinner.

The Serpent d’Or and L’Etang du Breuil trails

For a nature hike with a difference, tread the footsteps of history along the legendary Serpent d’Or trail. This nature walk starts in the centre of La Chaise-Dieu and takes you through Breuil forest to a river called the Senouire, from the Latin ‘sinus aureus’, which gives its name to this lovely walk. To complete this soul-soothing stroll through nature, take a book with you and keep going to L’Etang du Breuil.

Did you know?Mount Bar, a volcano like no other in all of Europe

Mont Bar is a 1175 metre-high volcano forged by Strombolian eruption. ‘Strombolian’ means a type of volcanic eruption with relatively mild blasts.

Mont Bar last erupted around 790,000 years ago, long before Homo sapiens first arrived in Europe around only 45,000 years ago.

The site is part of the Devès range that spans 60 kilometres between the river Loire and river Allier.

The peat bog that lies in Mont Bar crater has made an arena for all kinds of local legends over the centuries. One such legend claims that the Romans used it for water-borne jousting—a story immortalised in Jean de la Roche by author George Sand, who often visited to find plants for her personal herbarium, but also found inspiration here. Another myth asserts that Gaulish-era druids made ritual offerings here. In 1821, archaeological digs unearthed a number of precious objects, including gold medallions and bracelets that are now on display at Crozatier museum in Le Puy-en-Velay.

The outdoor interpretation trail circling around Mont Bar can be walked in about two hours.

Accommodation and restaurants in and around La Chaise-Dieu

To make the most of this exceptional weekend, find accommodation and restaurants around La Chaise-Dieu.

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Destinations du Livradois Forez

Thiers, medieval city and home of knifemaking

Ambert, Fourme et Forez

Billom, Lezoux, land of crops and ceramics