Saint-Flour

Saint-Flour rises on a volcanic height above the valley of the Ander, overlooking the highlands of southern Auvergne. Its religious importance grew around the shrine of Saint Flour. In 1317 Pope John XXII created a diocese here from part of the vast bishopric of Clermont. The cathedral was rebuilt between 1396 and 1466, its dark stone walls and towers commanding the upper town.