Saint-Céré

Saint-Céré (Languedocien: Sant Seren) is a commune of 3,609 people (as of 2016) situated in the Lot valley (Department 46)[2] in the Lot. The commune includes within its borders the castle of Saint-Laurent-les-Tours, where the artist Jean Lurçat lived and worked for many years, and from which he operated a secret radio for the French Resistance.[3] The castle still houses a collection of his works.

Saint-Céré
Commune
La Bave and the Quai des Récollets
Coat of arms
Location of Saint-Céré
Saint-Céré
Saint-Céré
Coordinates: 44°51′35″N 1°53′30″E
CountryFrance
RegionOccitanie
DepartmentLot
ArrondissementFigeac
CantonSaint-Céré
IntercommunalityPays de Saint-Céré
Government
 • Mayor (2014–2020) Pierre Destic
Area
1
11.33 km2 (4.37 sq mi)
Population
 (2017-01-01)[1]
3,462
 • Density310/km2 (790/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
46251 /46400
Elevation141–523 m (463–1,716 ft)
(avg. 152 m or 499 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Geography

Location

The town is located in the centre of a small metropolitan area, in the Quercy, northeast of the Causse de Gramat and west of Segala, between Lacapelle-Marival and Bretenoux, in the valley of the Bave, tributary of the Dordogne river, and on the northern edge of the Limargue. It is the city-centre of the urban unit of Saint-Céré.

Located at the crossroad of the routes to Limousin, Auvergne and Quercy, Saint-Céré is a sought after place to stay due to its location and an excellent point of departure for many walks and excursions in the Haut-Quercy.

Hydrography

The Bave river, a tributary of the Dordogne, flows through the town.

Geology and relief

The area of the commune is 1,133 hectares; its altitude varies from 141 to 523 meters.[4]

At the town hall, the altitude of Saint-Céré is 155 meters. It rises from 141 meters at Bave river to 523 meters in the southern part of the commune.

Climate

Saint-Céré has the distinction of being at the junction of the three types of temperate climates: there is a Temperate Oceanic climate, with Mediterranean and Continental influences, characterised by a dry and hot summer, a sunny autumn, a mild winter. In the shelter of the foothills of the Massif Central, the Vent d'Autan is here moderate.

Toponymy

Saint-Cere is based on the Christian hagiotoponym of Serenus de Marseille.[5]

During the French Revolution, the commune bore the name of Franc-Céré and Sen Céré (or Seu-Céré).[6]

In Occitan, the name of the municipality is Sant Seren.

Local culture and heritage

Places and monuments
  • La place du Mercadial, its fountain and the 15th century Consuls' House, which was declared a historic monument in 1991[7]
  • L'hôtel de Puymule, 15th-century, was listed as a historical monument in 1929[8]
  • L'hôtel de Miramon[9]
  • La maison consulaire[10]
  • Several wood-panelled houses
  • Église Sainte-Spérie, dating from the 10th century, inscribed as a historical monument in 1979[11]
  • Église des Récollets, 17th century, listed as a historic monument in 1973[12]
  • Statue of Marshal Canrobert
  • Statue of Charles Bourseul (1924) by Giovanni Pinotti Cipriani (also sculptor of the monument to the dead in the square of the Place de la République)
  • Château de Montal, 14th-century, listed as a historical monument in 1909. It is located in the commune of Saint-Jean-Lespinasse, two kilometres away.[13]

See also

References
  1. "Populations légales 2017". INSEE. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  2. http://www.st-cere.com/information-about-St-Cere.html Archived 2009-04-12 at the Wayback Machine
  3. http://www.st-cere.com/guides/St-Laurent-les-Tours.html Archived 2010-09-05 at the Wayback Machine
  4. "Répertoire Géographique des Communes 2011". public.opendatasoft.com. Retrieved 2019-07-17.
  5. Bazalgues, Gaston (2002). À la découverte des noms de lieux du Quercy. Toponymie lotoise (Éditions de la Bouriane et du Quercy ed.). Gourdon. p. 53. ISBN 2-910540-16-2.
  6. Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Saint-Céré, EHESS. (in French)
  7. "Ancienne maison consulaire". www2.culture.gouv.fr. Retrieved 2019-08-10.
  8. "Ancien hôtel de Puymule". www2.culture.gouv.fr. Retrieved 2019-08-10.
  9. "Maison Louis XIII". www2.culture.gouv.fr. Retrieved 2019-08-10.
  10. "Ancienne maison consulaire". www2.culture.gouv.fr. Retrieved 2019-08-10.
  11. "Eglise et sa crypte de Sainte-Spérie". www2.culture.gouv.fr. Retrieved 2019-08-10.
  12. "Eglise des Récollets". www2.culture.gouv.fr. Retrieved 2019-08-10.
  13. "Domaine de Montal (également sur commune de Saint-Céré)". www2.culture.gouv.fr. Retrieved 2019-08-10.
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