Many travelers visit France specifically for the historic countryside. Pastoral vistas, antique buildings, and quaint stone churches are part and parcel of the experience.

What they don’t expect to find, however, are massive 14th-Century Gothic basilicas located in the middle of otherwise small and unassuming villages. 

That’s what makes La Basilique Notre-Dame d’Avioth, or the Basilica of Our Lady of Avioth, so unique. Grandiose and exquisitely put together, the basilica would be right at home in Paris or Nice. But instead it’s in the tiny town of Avioth, proving that you don’t need to go to the city to see some phenomenal and inspiring architecture.