While staying in the UNESCO town of Le Puy en Velay, I had the liberty to take a few day trips within a 40-minute drive of this beautiful destination located in the Auvergne Region of France. La Chaise-Dieu, an abbey church founded in 1043 and Chateau Chavaniac, the birthplace and childhood home of American Revolutionary War hero, the Marquis de Lafayette. In addition to these lovely two destinations, the Forteresse de Polignac, a 1,000-year old fortified castle built on top of volcanic rocks is also a great half-day trip from Le Puy en Velay!

Chateau Chavaniac, the birthplace of the Marquis de Lafayette, in Auvergne, France

La Chaise-Dieu

Meaning the “House of God” in English, La Chaise Dieu was founded by Robert de Tourlande in 1043. In the Languedoc Gothic Style, the abbey church is also the burial site of Pope Clement VI, who entered the Catholic Church through the Benedictine order as a boy in 1301 at La Chaise-Dieu in the Diocese of Clermont in Auvergne.

Upon entering, the staff at ticketing booth at La Chaise-Dieu, who were all very young and looked like college students on their summer jobs, were very friendly and helped me navigate through the recently approved COVID-mandates (negative of COVID in order to enter) by examining through my Hong Kong vaccine papers.

Unfortunately, the headsets we received only had French guided tours. But lucky for me, many of the rooms had plaques or printed English materials explaining the history of the abbey. Upon entering, we were greeted by the beautiful cloister hallway with a sneak peek at the outdoor terrace.

Hallway of the Cloisters at La Chaise-Dieu, Auvergne, France

Sneak preview of the Cloister Courtyard at La Chaise-Dieu, Auvergne, France

The main church area, breathtakingly beautiful with high gothic ceilings, has several significant art pieces. One being the massive pipe organ dating back to the 17th century that consists of gorgeous and intricate redwood carvings. The other art piece is 3 panels of the 15th century fresco, Danse Macabre, with skeletons and cadavers showing dancing motion as a reference to the Black Death, in which it heavily impacted the village and surrounding area of La Chaise-Dieu.

Main hall of La Chaise-Dieu, Auvergne, France

Arches of the Languedoc Gothic Style of La Chaise-Dieu, Auvergne, France

17th century pipe organ at La Chaise-Dieu, Auvergne, France

Wooden carvings of the pipe organ at La Chaise-Dieu, Auvergne, France

Intricate carvings on the wooden pews at La Chaise-Dieu, Auvergne, France

Danse Macabre 15th century fresco at La Chaise-Dieu, Auvergne, France

Faded frescos on the walls of La Chaise-Dieu, Auvergne, France

Besides the art pieces in the main church area, La Chaise Dieu also has fourteen Flemish tapestries from the 16th century on display. All of the designs are themed around the life of Jesus Christ.

16th century Flemish tapestries at La Chaise-Dieu, Auvergne, France

16th century Flemish tapestry at La Chaise-Dieu, Auvergne, France

Lunch Break at Le Lion d’Or

Upon finishing our visit at La Chaise-Dieu, we stopped at the village to enjoy some lunch. There’s an area in the central area next to the abbey with a few restaurants, bed & breakfasts, and shops. We stopped by a restaurant named the Golden Lion, or Le Lion d’Or. Surprisingly, it’s an authentic traditional French and Thai restaurant. After speaking with the owner for a while, we learned the reason behind the interesting choices behind the menu selection and decor is because his wife is Thai!

Funnily, I ordered a traditional French meal of Tripe with Lentils while my in-laws ordered Thai food! The tripe I ordered was so so so delicious. The tripe, infused the flavors of the lentils that were stewed with a generous amount of shallots and bay leaves.

Le Lion D’Or, Authentic French and Thai Restaurant at La Chaise-Dieu, Auvergne, France

Traditional French Cuisine at Le Lion D’or at La Chaise-Dieu: Tripe with Lentils

Chavaniac-Lafayette

After lunch, we took a 20-minute drive to our second stop of this day trip: Chavaniac-Lafayette. Originally named Chavaniac, this 300 person commune was renamed to Chavaniac-Lafayette in 1884 in honor of the famous Marquis de Lafayette. The Chateau Chavaniac is the highlight of this commune as it was the birthplace and childhood home of the Marquis. While large in its size, the estate did not appear to be extremely extravagant or grandiose. And it is very apparent that the Marquis and his relationship as well as contribution with America is greatly reflected throughout the estate in the forms of sculptures and portraits of or with George Washington and the display of American flags.

Interior of the Chateau Chavaniac

The tour of the castle began at the first-level kitchen and dining room, which consisted of all the original furniture and cooking ware from Lafayette’s time. The room formally functioned as a guard room.

The headsets for the tour at Chateau Chavaniac, unlike that of La Chaise-Dieu, had English capabilities. The tour of course included both the bedrooms of Lafayette – which had a portrait of George Washington(!) and his wife, Mrs. Lafayette.

But my favorite room in the house was the drawing room, which had these magnificent chairs painted on upholstery depicting the French countryside. It was also very well lit with large french windows and Louis XV mirrors.

The dining room and kitchen of Chateau Chavaniac, Auvergne, France

The Drawing Room of Chateau Chavaniac, birthplace of Marquis de Lafayette, Auvergne, France

Exterior of the Chateau Chavaniac

Perhaps more interesting of the estate is the extremely large garden, which includes a well-kept French Rose Garden and a large English styled backcountry garden. The rose garden was immediately next to the Chateau and has more than dozens types of rose varieties blooming in beautiful beige to bright pink colors.

Gardens of Chateau Chavaniac, Chavaniac-Lafayette, Auvergne, France

The English garden expands across many acres and features plants from the American South, especially in the Virginia, Tennessee, and Carolinas region. It also has a beautiful water lily pond that was formerly a pool.

France never seizes to amaze me with its diverse offerings of landscapes, history, and food! Auvergne Region, although not as familiar to many compared to the rest of the country, is by no means shy of any of its wonderful offerings. It is just waiting to be discovered by international tourists and those curious to venture out of the well known.

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Best Day Trips in Auvergne, France: La…