A Book of the Cevennes Author:Sabine Baring-Gould Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III LE PUY The basin of Le Puy—Situation of the city—Mont Anis and 1'Aiguilhe— How to reach Le Puy—The Velauni—Their capital—Transferred— The fever... more »stone—Temple of Adido—Monument of Scutarius—Baptistery —The Black Virgin—The cathedral—Murder of a chorister by Jews— Western entrance and fa£ade—Cloister—Vaulting of nave—Tower— Lay canonry—Paintings—Walls—Old houses—S. Michel de 1'Aiguilhe —How did the builders work?—S. Laurent—Du Guesclin—The Bible of Theodulf—Wealth of the see—Bad bishops—Bertrand de Chalencon— William de la Roue—Revolt of the people—Murder of the bailiff—The White Hoods—Antoine de S. Nectaire—His sister—Massacre ordered —The bishop at Fay-le-Froid—Espaly—Vidal Guyard—Capture of castle—Defence of Le Puy—Church militant—The old gunner— Christopher d'Allegre—The Huguenots retire—The Revolution. ASSUREDLY no city in Europe occupies a site so ji. fantastic as does the capital of the Velay. The high wind-and-snow-swept tableland to south and west falls away and forms a pleasant basin covered with vineyards and sprinkled over with white villas or summer-houses of the citizens, as if there had been a giant's wedding and much rice had been thrown. The Borne, that has hitherto struggled through ravines and tumbled in cascades, here ceases to be boisterous, and puts on an air of placidity as it glides past the cathedral city. In this basin the climate is mild compared with that of the uplands, and the soil is fertile. The train from West Front Of Cathedral, Lk Puy Page 34 THE CITY 35 Arvant curves round the town before it settles into the station, much as a dog turns about before he lies down to snooze. What at once arrests the eye on approaching Le Puy is that out of the very midst of the basin up start two rocks ; the largest is Mont An...« less