Holy Hill

What makes it special

The hill is an oval ridge of Jurassic limestone, 363 metres above sea level, with a flat top and steep slopes. Fourteen small chapels mark the stations of the Way of the Cross up the slope from town.

On the summit stand the pilgrimage chapel of St Sebastian and an octagonal bell tower that stands apart from it. The chapel was completed in 1630.

Further along the top is the small chapel of the Holy Sepulchre, whose interior can be seen through a restored Baroque grating. With the stations, the chapel and the bell tower, it makes up a complex of 17 structures.

The southern slopes are rocky limestone steppe, with dwarf iris, feather grass and mountain germander growing between the stones.

Visiting

Stone steps climb from the foot of the hill past the stations of the cross. At the first station, turn round: the view runs across the rooftops to the château.

The steps end on the summit at St Sebastian's chapel. From there, follow the blue marker along the flat top of the ridge to the small chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows, then up 33 steps to the chapel of the Holy Sepulchre.

To get down, walk back along the ridge to St Sebastian's chapel. Take the same stone steps from there down to town.

Tips

Wear proper shoes with a good grip. The path is loose after rain, and the wooden railing on the steps from town covers only part of the way.

The flat top is a good place for a picnic, with a bottle of wine and the town below. Climb in the late afternoon and you can stay up there for the sunset.

Two pilgrimages climb the hill each year: a winter one on the first Sunday after 20 January, and the Marian pilgrimage in September.