Le Puy-Notre-Dame () or Le Puy is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in the Maine-et-Loire department in western

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. The village is built on the hill of Puy, also spelt “Pua”. Its inhabitants are known as ''Puechens''.

History

Protohistoric traces have been found. Le Puy (''Podio beatae Mariae'' in the 7th century had become known as ''Puy-la-Montagne'' by 1793 and the hill of Puy as ''Mary's Mountain''. William 9th,

Duke of Aquitaine The Duke of Aquitaine ( oc, Duc d'Aquitània, french: Duc d'Aquitaine, ) was the ruler of the medieval region of Aquitaine (not to be confused with modern-day Aquitaine) under the supremacy of Frankish, English, and later French kings. As su ...

is reputed to have brought back a waistband of the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

from the

Crusades The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were ...

and deposited it in the church. His granddaughter

Eleanor of Aquitaine Eleanor ( – 1 April 1204; french: Aliénor d'Aquitaine, ) was Queen of France from 1137 to 1152 as the wife of King Louis VII, Queen of England from 1154 to 1189 as the wife of King Henry II, and Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right from 1 ...

founded a collegial church to honour the relic which, according to legend, facilitated pregnancies and male offspring.

Louis XI Louis XI (3 July 1423 – 30 August 1483), called "Louis the Prudent" (french: le Prudent), was King of France from 1461 to 1483. He succeeded his father, Charles VII. Louis entered into open rebellion against his father in a short-lived revol ...

founded a chapter about 1480 and this became a site of

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

the Sunday after 8 September, the Nativity. The relic can still be viewed here. The town became a stop on the pilgrimage to

Santiago de Compostela Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city has its origin in the shrine of Saint James the Great, now the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, as the destination of the Way of S ...

(17th century houses used by the pilgrims still exist). Its location between the territories of the Counts of

Anjou Anjou may refer to: Geography and titles France * County of Anjou, a historical county in France and predecessor of the Duchy of Anjou **Count of Anjou, title of nobility *Duchy of Anjou, a historical duchy and later a province of France **Duk ...

and Aquitaine lent it strategic importance and traces of an encircling town wall remain.

Places

* Subterranean refuges exist under the town and Sanziers; * Presshouse at the Château du Lys in Sanziers; * Subterranean dovecote at La Hupponnière; * Cavier mill in ruins; * Ancient Franciscan convent chapel (barn).

Agriculture

Local agricultural production is mixed with vineyards (15 km²), orchards and market gardening taking place alongside pasture and woodlands. Beekeeping also takes place. The Cave Saint-Maur in Sanziers is known for its mushroom production. Local A.O.C wines are

, Saumur, and sparkling Saumur.

Administration

Miscellaneous

Puy derives from the Provençal word "Puech", meaning an isolated hill.

References

External links (in French, unless otherwise indicated)

Tourism website

Le Puy-Notre-Dame on the Institut Géographique National site

Weather for Le Puy-Notre-Dame

Personal page about Le Puy-Notre-Dame
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