most fortified buildings in the world
Chapel Saint-Michel d’Egil, France
Year of occurrence: 962 Height: 100 meters. In the tiny French town of Le Puy-en-Velay is the famous chapel of Saint-Michel d’Egil. The world-famous attraction that made the unusual location of the chapel, it was built on top of a hill, whose height is 100 meters. To climb to the top of the cliff and see the old chapel in the immediate vicinity, should overcome a long ladder, which has 268 steps. Fearless travelers who are not afraid to climb the steep stairs, will be richly rewarded – the cliff tops them an unforgettable view on the tiny town and its surroundings.
Construction of the chapel began in 962, under the direction of the bishop of Puy, so he decided to celebrate an important event – the return of the St. Michael’s pilgrimage. The very first chapel was a small chapel with three apses, and in the 12th century religious buildings the scale has been expanded significantly. Apart from the two chapels and bell tower was built here and the outpatient clinic.
The hill on top of which is an old chapel, is an important archaeological site. As we found out during the excavations, even in the prehistoric era to the top of the hill was located a Roman sanctuary, here the inhabitants of ancient Rome sacrificed to the god Mercury. Chapel hides a lot of secrets that never cease to amaze even experienced researchers. In the mid-20th century during the regular research scientists were able to discover the hiding place of the sacred Christian relics. Today they can see everyone, the findings have been presented in the main chapel.