In a village that is officially designated one of the most beautiful in France, this church was carved out of cliff face back in the 12th century. The monolithic church, église souterraine or église monolithe of Saint-Jean: is the village’s most amazing site.
Twenty-seven metres high, the église monolithe is said to have taken 100 years to complete and includes a nave, baptismal font, vestibule, octagonal columns and gallery. The necropolis contains 80 or so sarcophagi and the 6m high, carved monument standing in the apse is a replica of the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea in Jerusalem’s Holy Sepulchre church. Archaeologists are still trying to understand the mysteries of this extraordinary building.