Saugues

Coordinates: 44°57′39″N 3°32′53″E / 44.9608°N 3.5481°E / 44.9608; 3.5481
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Saugues
Commune
Flag of Saugues
Coat of arms of Saugues
Location of Saugues
Map
Saugues is located in France
Saugues
Saugues
Saugues is located in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Saugues
Saugues
Coordinates: 44°57′39″N 3°32′53″E / 44.9608°N 3.5481°E / 44.9608; 3.5481
CountryFrance
RegionAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes
DepartmentHaute-Loire
ArrondissementBrioude
CantonGorges de l'Allier-Gévaudan
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Joël Plantin[1]
Area
1
78.8 km2 (30.4 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[2]
1,681
 • Density21/km2 (55/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
43234 /43170
Elevation661–1,483 m (2,169–4,865 ft)
(avg. 960 m or 3,150 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Saugues (French pronunciation: [soɡ]; Occitan: Saug) is a commune in the Haute-Loire department in south-central France.

Geography

The town lies 45 km (28 mi) west of Le Puy-en-Velay.

History

A former stronghold of the Gévaudan, Saugues grew in the 12th century under the authority of the Bishops of Mende and the Lords of Mercœur. A fire in 1788 destroyed most of the town's historical centre.

It is in the mountains around and near Saugues that the famous beast of Gévaudan is said to have originated.

The Pilgrimage to Compostela

Saugues is situated on the

Way of St. James pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela
.

Pilgrims arrive in the town from Monistrol-d'Allier, and continue to the next communes of Chanaleilles, La Dômerie du Sauvage and La Chapelle Saint-Roch.

Saugues was the traditional meeting point for pilgrims coming from Auvergne, as the path coming from

Puy-de-Dôme
.

The Confraternity of Penitents

The Confrérie des Pénitents, or the

.

Population

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1968 2,493—    
1975 2,371−0.71%
1982 2,288−0.51%
1990 2,089−1.13%
1999 2,013−0.41%
2009 1,873−0.72%
2014 1,814−0.64%
2020 1,694−1.13%
Source: INSEE[3]

Sights

Famous for its

Hundred Years War, when a troupe of English Routiers
besieged the town.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
  2. ^ "Populations légales 2021". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE