Saint-Chély-d'Aubrac (;

Languedocien Languedocien (French name, ), Languedocian or Lengadocian (), is an Occitan dialect spoken in rural parts of southern France such as Languedoc, Rouergue, Quercy, Agenais and Southern Périgord. It is sometimes also called Languedocien-Guyennai ...

: ''Sanch Èli d'Aubrac'' or ''Sench Eli d'Aubrac'') is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in the

Aveyron Aveyron (; oc, Avairon; ) is a department in the region of Occitania, Southern France. It was named after the river Aveyron. Its inhabitants are known as ''Aveyronnais'' (masculine) or ''Aveyronnaises'' (feminine) in French. The inhabitants o ...

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

in southern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

about 7 kilometres from

Aubrac Aubrac is a small village in the southern Massif Central of France. The name is also applied to the surrounding countryside, which is properly called L'Aubrac in French. The Aubrac region has been a member of the Natura 2000 network since August 200 ...

Population

Location

The town is in a large and beautiful green valley on the

GR 65 The GR 65 is a long-distance walking route of the Grande Randonnée network that extends from the French Prealps, across south central France, through the Pyrenees. The French name for this GR route is the ''Chemin de Saint-Jacques'' and the ...

, the

Way of Saint James The Camino de Santiago ( la, Peregrinatio Compostellana, "Pilgrimage of Compostela"; gl, O Camiño de Santiago), known in English as the Way of St James, is a network of pilgrims' ways or pilgrimages leading to the shrine of the apostle Saint ...

pilgrim A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) who is on Pilgrimage, a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journey (often on foot) to some place of special significance to the a ...

route. When travelling on the long distance footpath, Saint Chély d'Aubrac is the next town after

. Going down a wild, wooded valley, the walker discovers this little town in a large clearing and comes into the town by the old bridge with its pilgrim's cross, like the pilgrims of the past. The town of Saint-Chély-d'Aubrac is recognized by UNESCO as part of the Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France. The Bridge of the Pilgrims is specifically named as part of this designation.

Landscape

The town has been a member of the

Natura 2000 Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, respectively ...

network since August 2006. It hosts an annual

chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to disti ...

festival.

Sights

* Jardin botanique d'Aubrac

Gallery

File:Saint chely d'aubrac vallee.jpg, Saint-Chély: landscape File:Croix des pelerins nettoyée.jpg, Pilgrim's Cross File:Bas relief médiéval Saint-Chély-d'Aubrac.jpg, Medieval stone low reliefs File:France XVth.JPG, English possessions XVth

Population

Location

Landscape

Sights

Gallery

See also