Notre Dame de l'Assomption Cathedral

The emblematic Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption cathedral stands on Clermont's central hilltop. It is the first and largest edifice built entirely of Volvic lava.
Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption cathedral was built in 1248 by Hugues de La Tour (1227- 1249), Bishop of Clermont. Jean Deschamps, the master builder, abandoned arkose for volcanic stone from the lava flows of Volvic's puy de la Nugère. It was this fundamental choice that forever shaped the image of the town and surrounding villages. The cathedral, which remained unfinished for over five centuries, acquired its distinctive silhouette thanks to the architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc (1814-1879), who gave it a harmonious façade and two spires (1862-1901). In this way, the building became a condensation of the Gothic and Neo-Gothic styles, as much in its architecture as in its interior decor and furnishings.