Valence Cathedral
Valence, FR
The oldest monument in Valencia, it was consecrated on 5 August 1095 by Pope Urban II. Destroyed during the Wars of Religion, it was rebuilt in the 17th century and its bell tower, which threatened after being struck by lightning, was replaced in the 19th century. The architecture of this cathedral makes it similar to other monuments in Auvergne and Velay, especially the polychrome stone decorations. It has an ambulatory allowing the passage of pilgrims and confirming its role as a stopover church on the road to Santiago de Compostela. The monument to Pope Pius VI, who died in Valencia in 1799, a prisoner of the Directory, has been placed in the heart. It has been classified as a historical monument since 1862