Saint-Michel d’Aiguilhe is a Romanesque Catholic chapel, built in 969, located in Aiguilhe, France. The chapel was built on top of an 85 m high volcanic neck. Since 1840 it is a historical monument of France. At the foot of the volcanic neck is located the Chapel of St. Clare, dating from the 12th century. The chapel can be reached by a staircase consisting of 268 steps carved into the volcanic rock. The portal is decorated with a polylobed arch surmounted by a mosaic of polychrome stones. This type of arch was a characteristic of the architecture of the Caliphate of Cordoba, which spread in French Romanesque architecture through the pilgrims who passed along the Way of St. James of Compostela, in particular along the Via Podiensis, which passed through Aiguilhe.
