At 16m tall and weighing a svelte 110 tonnes, this crimson Notre Dame de France (Virgin Mary) statue makes an imposing guardian over Le Puy. Since 1860, she has been watching over the city from the Rocher Corneille, a 757m-high volcanic pillar. You can share her view by climbing a ladder right inside her haloed head. The statue was fashioned from 213 cannons captured during the Crimean War.
© Joaquin Ossorio-Castillo/Getty Images/iStock