La Chaise-Dieu

The abbey stands at over a thousand metres on an exposed granite plateau, rebuilt in the fourteenth century by Pope Clement VI, who had been a monk here and is buried in the choir. Along one wall of the nave runs a fresco of the Danse Macabre, painted around 1470: a line of about twenty-four figures from pope and emperor down to labourer and child, each partnered by a corpse leading them away, painted in the aftermath of plague years and left unfinished. Flemish tapestries hang in the choir. A famous music festival, founded by the pianist Georges Cziffra in 1966, fills the church each August.

What you actually see

• The Danse Macabre - about twenty-four figures led away by corpses.
• The tomb of Clement VI - the pope's monument in the choir.
• The Flemish tapestries - sixteenth-century hangings in the church.
• The music festival - August concerts in the abbey acoustic.

When to go

May to September; the plateau is severe in winter and much closes. The music festival is in late August and books out. The church is cold even in summer, which is part of its character.

Honest expectations

The fresco is faded and hard to read in poor light; take time and use the interpretation. The village around the abbey is small with limited facilities. Festival dates make accommodation scarce.

Nearby

Le Puy-en-Velay lies south; Ambert and the Livradois are west.