Saint-Sauveur-en-Rue () 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

Loire The Loire (, also ; ; oc, Léger, ; la, Liger) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhône ...

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 central

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 ...

Geography

Saint-Sauveur-en-Rue is located south of the

Parc Naturel Régional du Pilat Pilat Regional Natural Park ( French: ''Parc naturel régional du Pilat'') is a protected area of mountainous countryside in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of southeastern France. The park spans the departments of Loire and Rhône, and covers a ...

. It is the southernmost town of the ''département'' of the

. Saint Sauveur is located from the

Haute-Loire Haute-Loire (; oc, Naut Léger or ''Naut Leir''; English: Upper Loire) is a landlocked department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of south-central France. Named after the Loire River, it is surrounded by the departments of Loire, Ardèche ...

''département'', and from the

Ardèche Ardèche (; oc, Ardecha; frp, Ardecha) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France. It is named after the river Ardèche and had a population of 328,278 as of 2019.Col de la République on the road to Saint Etienne and the on the road to Le Puy en Velay. The town is on the dividing line of the Loire and Rhône watersheds. The village is also near the Gimel bog. Saint Sauveur is particularly popular because it is located on the route to the Rhone Valley (which is very attractive) from the Haute-Loire and vice versa. The village is located from

Annonay Annonay (; oc, Anonai) is a commune and largest city in the north of the Ardèche department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of southeastern France. It is the most populous commune in the Ardèche department although it is not the capital ...

and south of

Saint-Étienne Saint-Étienne (; frp, Sant-Etiève; oc, Sant Estève, ) is a city and the prefecture of the Loire department in eastern-central France, in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. Saint-Étienne is the t ...

and from

Yssingeaux Yssingeaux (; ) is a commune and subprefecture in the Haute-Loire department in south-central France. It is situated between Le Puy-en-Velay and Firminy. Geography The river Lignon du Velay flows through the commune. Population See also *Co ...

. The river, flowing to Annonay, rises below the Tracol. Saint-Sauveur is the highest village in the valley.

History

Saint-Sauveur-en-Rue is an old town which particularly flourished in the Middle Ages. Indeed, Tracol was a gateway to Puy-en-Velay for merchants from the Rhone Valley. The suffix "Rue" in its name probably comes from the name of the nearby castle of Ru, which may be named from the Germanic word "Ruda", which means clearing. In 1061, the lord Artaud Argental bequeathed his property to the monks of

La Chaise-Dieu La Chaise-Dieu (; Auvergnat: ''La Chasa Dieu'') is a commune in the Haute-Loire department in south-central France. Its inhabitants are called ''Casadéens'', from the Latin name of the city. Geography La Chaise-Dieu occupies a 1082 m butte w ...

, for them to build a priory at Saint-Sauveur-en-Rue (1062-1401). Pilat is so sparsely populated. Saint-Sauveur had fortifications; some remain near the retirement home, a watchtower and a door above the gym. The town is surrounded by the fortified house of Ru and Bobigneux Castle (now a hostel). In the seventeenth century, were tunnels were dug underground between the castles and churches of the canton. The village has 35 crosses. The most important is on a rock; this is the cross of Perthuis or Ascension. This cross is the most important because the procession stopped in front of the rock as the priest blessed the participants. This cross is on the D503 at the place called Le Griotet. These crosses were built in the seventeenth century and were preserved during the French Revolution by the villagers. During the Revolution, March 16, 1794, Father Robert, vicar of Saint-Sauveur-en-Rue, refractory priest who refused to take the oath, was executed in Lyon after secretly hearing the confessions of many detainees. Saint-Sauveur-en-Rue became prosperous in the early twentieth century by exploiting the Taillard forest to produce shoring timbers for the mines around Saint-Étienne. Saint-Sauveur-en-Rue was then connected by train (Line Saint-Rambert D'Albon - Firminy). In the early 1970s, a seismic sensor station was built in the old railway tunnel in Badol (a hamlet east of Saint-Sauveur-en-Rue). Its importance has increased since 1993, It detected the earthquake in Chile in 2010, Japan in 2011 and Sumatra in 2004. Today, the village is mainly a bedroom community; many people work in Saint-Étienne, the basin annonéen and the Rhône Valley. However, there are many artisans and shops. Currently, the inhabitants are called “les Picatios d’âne” from the

Occitan language Occitan (; oc, occitan, link=no ), also known as ''lenga d'òc'' (; french: langue d'oc) by its native speakers, and sometimes also referred to as ''Provençal'', is a Romance languages, Romance language spoken in Southern France, Monaco, Ital ...

, a stephanois

patois ''Patois'' (, pl. same or ) is speech or language that is considered nonstandard, although the term is not formally defined in linguistics. As such, ''patois'' can refer to pidgins, creoles, dialects or vernaculars, but not commonly to jargon or ...

phrase that means "those who poke donkey butt", because it was the only way to spur donkeys forward on the grade of the Tracol. During the Second World War, in 1944, the Allies damaged a tank with a sidewalk (now repaired). The road between the Tracol to the Cerralier cross (GR65, GR7) was made by German prisoners of war.

Wind farm

As of January 2022, a wind farm project called "Ailes de Taillard" is still under development in the commune of Saint-Sauveur-en-Rue and the neighboring commune of Burdignes.

Transport

The departmental road D503 passes through the village, and connects it with Riotord across the Col du Tracol, and with

Bourg-Argental Bourg-Argental (; frp, Lo Bôrg-Argentâf; oc, Lo Borg d'Argentau) is a commune in the Loire department in central France. Population See also *Communes of the Loire department *Ary Bitter Ary Bitter (1883–1973) was a French artist, ...

. The village is served by a regional bus service to Bourg-Argental.Ligne P103
Région Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes