Saint-Étienne (; frp, Sant-Etiève; oc, Sant Estève, ) is a city and the
prefecture
A prefecture (from the Latin ''Praefectura'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain international ...
of 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 eastern-central France, in the
Massif Central
The (; oc, Massís Central, ; literally ''"Central Massif"'') is a highland region in south-central France, consisting of mountains and plateaus. It covers about 15% of mainland France.
Subject to volcanism that has subsided in the last 10,00 ...
, southwest of
Lyon
Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...
in the
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (ARA; ; frp, Ôvèrgne-Rôno-Ârpes; oc, Auvèrnhe Ròse Aups; it, Alvernia-Rodano-Alpi) is a region in southeast-central France created by the 2014 territorial reform of French regions; it resulted from the merger of Au ...
region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...
.
Saint-Étienne is the thirteenth most populated commune in France and the second most populated commune in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Its
metropolis
A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications.
A big c ...
Lyon
Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...
. The commune is also at the heart of a vast
metropolitan area
A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually com ...
with 497,034 inhabitants (2018), the eighteenth largest in France by population, comprising 105 communes. Its inhabitants are known as ''Stéphanois'' (masculine) and ''Stéphanoises'' (feminine).
Long known as the French city of the "weapon, cycle and ribbon" and a major
coal mining
Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...
centre, Saint-Étienne is currently engaged in a vast
urban renewal
Urban renewal (also called urban regeneration in the United Kingdom and urban redevelopment in the United States) is a program of land redevelopment often used to address urban decay in cities. Urban renewal involves the clearing out of blighte ...
program aimed at leading the transition from the industrial city inherited from the 19th century to the "design capital" of the 21st century. This approach was recognised with the entry of Saint-Étienne into the UNESCO Creative Cities network in 2010. The city is currently undergoing renewal, with the installation of the Châteaucreux business district, the steel shopping centre and the manufacturing creative district.
The city is known for its football club
AS Saint-Étienne
Association Sportive de Saint-Étienne Loire (), commonly known as A.S.S.E. () or simply Saint-Étienne, is a professional football club based in Saint-Étienne in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France. The club was founded in 1933 and competes in ...
which has won the
Ligue 1
Ligue 1, officially known as Ligue 1 Uber Eats for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the French football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. A ...
title a record ten times.
History
Named after
Saint Stephen
Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ''Stéphanos'', meaning "wreath, crown" and by extension "reward, honor, renown, fame", often given as a title rather than as a name; c. 5 – c. 34 AD) is traditionally venerated as the protomartyr or first ...
, the city first appears in the historical record in the Middle Ages as (after the River Furan, a tributary of 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 ...
). In the 13th century, it was a small borough around the church dedicated to Saint Stephen. On the upper reaches of the Furan, near the
Way of St. 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 Twelve Apostle ...
Cistercians
The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint ...
in 1222. In the late 15th century, it was a fortified village defended by walls built around the original nucleus.
From the 16th century, Saint-Étienne developed an arms manufacturing industry and became a market town. It was this which accounted for the town's importance, although it also became a centre for the manufacture of
ribbons
A ribbon or riband is a thin band of material, typically cloth but also plastic or sometimes metal, used primarily as decorative binding and tying. Cloth ribbons are made of natural materials such as silk, cotton, and jute and of synthetic mater ...
and passementerie starting in the 17th century.
Later, it became a mining centre of the
Loire coal mining basin
The Loire coal mining basin is an area of France that has been shaped by seven centuries of coal extraction
Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been ...
, and more recently, has become known for its bicycle industry.
In the first half of the 19th century, it was only a chief town of an arrondissement in the ' of 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 ...
, with a population of 33,064 in 1832. The concentration of industry prompted these numbers to rise rapidly to 110,000 by about 1880. It was this growing importance of Saint-Étienne that led to its being made seat of the prefecture and the departmental administration on 25 July 1855, when it became the chief town in the ' and seat of the prefect, replacing Montbrison, which was reduced to the status of chief town of an . Saint-Étienne absorbed the commune of Valbenoîte and several other neighbouring localities on 31 March 1855.
Demographics
The population data in the table and graph below refer to the commune of Saint-Étienne proper, in its geography at the given years. The commune of Saint-Étienne absorbed the former communes of Beaubrun, Montaud, Outre-Furent and Valbenoîte in 1855, ceded
Planfoy
Planfoy () is a commune in the Loire department in central France.
Population
See also
*Communes of the Loire department
The following is a list of the 323 communes of the Loire department of France.
The communes cooperate in the following ...
in 1863, merged with the exclave Saint-Victor-sur-Loire and with Terrenoire in 1969 and Rochetaillée in 1973.
Culture
Saint-Étienne became a popular stop for automobile travelers in the early 20th century.
In 1998, Saint-Étienne set up a design
biennale
Biennale (), Italian for "biennial" or "every other year", is any event that happens every two years. It is most commonly used within the art world to describe large-scale international contemporary art exhibitions. As such the term was popularis ...
, the largest of its kind in France. It lasts around two weeks. A landmark in the history of the importance ascribed to design in Saint-Étienne was the inauguration of ''La Cité du design'' on the site of the former arms factory in 2009.
The city also launched the
Massenet Festival Massenet Festival (''Festival Massenet'') is a biennale festival of music by French composer, Jules Massenet held in Saint-Étienne, France, close to the area where the composer was born. The first Massenet Festival took place in November 1990 when ...
s, (the composer
Jules Massenet
Jules Émile Frédéric Massenet (; 12 May 1842 – 13 August 1912) was a French composer of the Romantic era best known for his operas, of which he wrote more than thirty. The two most frequently staged are '' Manon'' (1884) and ''Werther' ...
hailed from the area) devoted mainly to perform Massenet's operas. In 2000, the city was named one of the
French Towns and Lands of Art and History Since 1985, the French Ministry of Culture and Communication has pursued a policy of preserving and promoting France's heritage. Historic towns and districts have been designated ''Villes et Pays d'Art et d'Histoire'' ("Towns and Lands of Art and H ...
. On 22 November 2010, it was nominated as "City of Design" as part of
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
's Creative Cities Network.
Saint-Étienne has four museums:
# the '' Musée d'Art Moderne'' has one of the largest collections of modern and contemporary art in France
# '' Musée de la Mine''
# ''Musée d'Art et d'Industrie'' ( fr)
# ''Musée du vieux Saint-Étienne'' ( fr)
Climate
The climate is temperate at the weather station due to its low altitude, but Saint-Étienne itself is much higher, above 530 m (1,739 ft) in the centre, as well as even above 700 m (2,297 ft) in the southern parts of the city. Saint-Étienne is very close from a
warm-summer humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...
( Köppen: ''Dfb''); it is generally one of the snowiest cities in France, with an average of 85 cm (2.79 ft) of snow accumulation per year.
Sport
The city's football club
AS Saint-Étienne
Association Sportive de Saint-Étienne Loire (), commonly known as A.S.S.E. () or simply Saint-Étienne, is a professional football club based in Saint-Étienne in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France. The club was founded in 1933 and competes in ...
has won the
Ligue 1
Ligue 1, officially known as Ligue 1 Uber Eats for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the French football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. A ...
Stade Henri-Lux
The Stade Henri-Lux is an athletics stadium in Saint-Étienne, France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territo ...
for athletics. St. Étienne was the capital of the French bicycle industry. The
bicycle wheel
A bicycle wheel is a wheel, most commonly a wire wheel, designed for a bicycle. A pair is often called a wheelset, especially in the context of ready built "off the shelf" performance-oriented wheels.
Bicycle wheels are typically designed ...
manufacturer Mavic is based in the city and frame manufacturers
Motobécane
Motobécane was a French manufacturer of bicycles, mopeds, motorcycles, and other small vehicles, established in 1923. "Motobécane" is a compound of "moto", short for motorcycle; "bécane" is slang for "bike."
Motobécane is a different co ...
and
Vitus
Vitus is a Latin given name meaning lively and may refer to:
*Saint Vitus (c. 290 – c. 303), a Christian martyr
*Vitus of Hungary (died 1297), beatified friar
*Vitus (bicycles), a French bicycle manufacturer
* ''Vitus'' (film), a 2006 Swiss film ...
are also based here. The city often hosts a stage of the
Tour de France
The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...
.
Saint-Étienne resident
Thierry Gueorgiou
Thierry Gueorgiou (; born 30 March 1979) is a French orienteer who has won more than 20 gold medals in international competitions, including the World Orienteering Championships (WOC) middle distance event eight times: 2003–2005, 2007–2009, 2 ...
is a world champion in
orienteering
Orienteering is a group of sports that require navigational skills using a map and compass to navigate from point to point in diverse and usually unfamiliar terrain whilst moving at speed. Participants are given a topographical map, usually a s ...
. The local
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
team is
CA Saint-Étienne Loire Sud Rugby
Club Athlétique de Saint-Étienne Loire Sud Rugby, CASE Loire Sud Rugby, or simply CASE, is a French rugby union club from Saint-Étienne in the Loire ''département''. As of 2011, they were competing in Fédérale 1, having been relegated from R ...
Saint-Étienne-Châteaucreux station
Saint-Étienne-Châteaucreux station (French: ''Gare de Saint-Étienne-Châteaucreux)'' is the main railway station in the town of Saint-Étienne. The station is situated in ''Châteaucreux'', a little outside the centre of Saint-Étienne. The st ...
, which offers high-speed services to Paris and Lyon (
Saint-Étienne–Lyon railway
The Saint-Étienne to Lyon line is a railway linking Saint-Étienne to Lyon. The line was built between 1828 and 1833 by Camille Seguin and Marc Seguin at a cost of 14,500,000 FRF.
History
Construction
Construction began in September 1 ...
), as well as connects to several regional lines. There are four other railway stations in Saint-Étienne (Bellevue, Carnot, La Terrasse and Le Clapier) with local services.Réseau TER et cars Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes TER Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, accessed 30 May 2022.
Saint-Étienne is also notable for its tramway (
Saint-Étienne tramway
The Saint-Étienne tramway (french: Tramway de Saint-Étienne) is a tram system in the city of Saint-Étienne in the Rhône-Alpes (France) that has functioned continuously since its opening in 1881. The first tramway line was steam-operated and w ...
) – which uniquely with Lille, it kept throughout the 20th century – and its
trolleybus
A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or troll ...
system ( Saint-Étienne trolleybus system) – which is one of only three such systems currently operating in France.
Bus and tram transport is regulated and provided by the
Société de Transports de l'Agglomération Stéphanoise
Société de Transports de l'Agglomération Stéphanoise, or STAS operates a public transport network and infrastructure in and around Saint-Étienne. Its responsibility is to provide tramway, trolleybus and bus service in the fifty-three commune ...
Vélivert
VéliVert' is a bike sharing scheme in Saint-Étienne, France launched in June 2010, by STAS. This community bicycle program comprises 400 long term renting bicycles and 300 short term renting bicycles.Jean Monnet University
Jean Monnet University (french: Université Jean Monnet or Université de Saint-Etienne) is a public research university based in Saint-Étienne, France. It is under the Academy of Lyon and belongs to the administrative entity denominated Univer ...
René Diaz
René Diaz ( St. Etienne, 1926) is a French journalist-illustrator who had worked at Le Progrès Lyon for 30 years. He did all the drawings of the trial of Klaus Barbie, "the butcher of Lyon", a nazi criminal.
Exhibitions
* Centre d’Histoire de ...
, French journalist and illustrator
*
Augustin Dupré
Augustin Dupré (6 October 1748 – 30 January 1833) was a French engraver of currency and medals, the 14th Graveur général des monnaies (Engraver General of Currency).
Biography
He began his career as an engraver at the royal factory for w ...
Claude Fauriel
Claude Charles Fauriel (21 October 1772 – 15 July 1844) was a French historian, philologist and critic.
Biography
He was born at Saint-Étienne, Loire, the son of a poor joiner, but received a good education in the Oratorian colleges of Tourn ...
Antonin Moine
Antonin-Marie Moine (30 June 1796 – 18 March 1849) was a French romantic sculptor in the first half of the 19th century.
Biography
Moine was born in Saint-Étienne.
He began his career as a landscape painter, before becoming a sculptor. He o ...
(1796–1849), sculptor
*
Jules Janin
Jules Gabriel Janin (16 February 1804 – 19 June 1874) was a French writer and critic.
Life and career
Born in Saint-Étienne (Loire), Janin's father was a lawyer, and he was educated first at St. Étienne, and then at the lycée Louis-le-Gra ...
(1804–1874), writer and critic
*
Francis Garnier
Marie Joseph François Garnier ( vi, Ngạc Nhi; 25 July 1839 – 21 December 1873) was a French officer, inspector of Indigenous Affairs of Cochinchina and explorer. He eventually became mission leader of the Mekong Exploration Commission in 19th ...
(1839–1873), officer and explorer who explored the Mekong River, much to the surprise of the inhabitants
*
Lucie Grange
Lucie Grange ( Poujoulat; 1839 - 31 December 1908) was a French medium and feminist prophet, her mystic name being Habimélah. She was the founder and editor of a monthly spiritualist journal, ''La Lumière''.
Biography
Lucie Poujoulat was born in ...
Jules Massenet
Jules Émile Frédéric Massenet (; 12 May 1842 – 13 August 1912) was a French composer of the Romantic era best known for his operas, of which he wrote more than thirty. The two most frequently staged are '' Manon'' (1884) and ''Werther' ...
(1842–1912), composer best known for his operas
*
Paul de Vivie
Paul de Vivie, who wrote as Vélocio (April 29, 1853
, aka ''Velocio'' (1853–1930), publisher of ''Le Cycliste'', early champion of the
dérailleur
file:14-06-20-shimano-600-RalfR-N3S 7903-05.jpg, Shimano 600 front derailleur (1980)
A derailleur is a variable-ratio bicycle gearing system consisting of a bicycle chain, chain, multiple sprockets of different sizes, and a mechanism to move the ...
and father of French cycle touring
*
Claudine Chomat
Claudine Chomat (7 February 1915 – 15 October 1995) was a French communist militant and a member of the French Resistance during the Second World War.
Chomat was born at Saint-Etienne (Loire), her father having died a few months earlier, wh ...
(1915–1995), member of the
French Resistance
The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...
during World War II, feminist, communist activist
*
Jean Bonfils
Jean-Baptiste Marcel Éloi Bonfils (21 April 1921 – 26 November 2007) was a 20th-century French organist, music educator, musicologist and composer.
Biography
Born in Saint-Étienne (Loire), Bonfils commenced his musical studies at the . Aft ...
Orlan
orlan is an internationally recognized French artist.
She is not tied to any one material, technology, or artistic practice. She uses sculpture, photography, performance, video, 3D, video games, augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and ro ...
(1947–), contemporary artist
*
Willy Sagnol
Willy David Frédéric Sagnol (born 18 March 1977) is a French professional football manager and former player who played as a defender. He is the manager of the Georgia national team.
Sagnol spent much of his professional career playing for ...
(b. 1977), French International football player
*
Jean Guitton
Jean Guitton (August 18, 1901 – March 21, 1999) was a French Catholic philosopher and theologian.
Biography
Born in Saint-Étienne, Loire in August 1901, he studied at the Lycée du Parc in Lyon and was accepted at the École Normale Sup ...
(1901–1999), Catholic philosopher and theologian
*
Thierry Gueorgiou
Thierry Gueorgiou (; born 30 March 1979) is a French orienteer who has won more than 20 gold medals in international competitions, including the World Orienteering Championships (WOC) middle distance event eight times: 2003–2005, 2007–2009, 2 ...
(b. 1979),
Orienteering
Orienteering is a group of sports that require navigational skills using a map and compass to navigate from point to point in diverse and usually unfamiliar terrain whilst moving at speed. Participants are given a topographical map, usually a s ...
world champion
*
Norma Ray
Sylvie N'Doumbé (Saint-Étienne, March 21, 1970), stage name Norma Ray, is a French singer, songwriter. She is the daughter of Cameroon soccer star Frédéric N'Doumbé.
Norma has sung the French versions of songs on the soundtracks of French dub ...
(born 1970), singer
* Alexis Ajinça (born 1988), basketball player
*
Sylvain Armand
Sylvain Armand (born 1 August 1980) is a French former professional association football, footballer who played as a left-back for Stade Rennais F.C., Rennes, Paris Saint-Germain F.C., Paris Saint-Germain, FC Nantes, Nantes, and Clermont Foot, Cl ...
(born 1980), footballer
*
Sliimy
Yanis Sahraoui (born 16 September 1988)
is a French pop musician and singer-songwriter.
Yanis (who uses gender-neutral pronouns since 2021Aravane Rezai (born 1987), tennis player
*
Loïc Perrin
Loïc Bruno Perrin (; born 7 August 1985) is a French former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. He spent all of his professional career with his hometown club Saint-Étienne.
Club career
Perrin made his debut for Saint-Etienne ...
(born 1985), footballer
It was also the place where
Andrei Kivilev
Andrei Mikhailovich Kivilev (russian: Андрей Михайлович Кивилёв, 20 September 1973 – 12 March 2003) was a professional road bicycle racer from Taldykorgan, Kazakhstan. In March 2003, he crashed during the Paris–Nice rac ...
Manufacture d'armes de Saint-Étienne
The ''Manufacture d'Armes de Saint-Étienne'', often abbreviated to MAS ("Saint-Étienne Weapons Factory" in English) was a French state-owned weapons manufacturer in the town of Saint-Étienne, Loire. Founded in 1764, it was merged into the ...
*
Saint-Étienne Cathedral
Saint-Étienne Cathedral (french: Cathédrale Saint-Charles-de-Borromé de Saint-Étienne) is a Roman Catholic church dedicated to Saint Charles Borromeo, in Saint-Étienne, Loire, France.
It has been the cathedral of the Diocese of Saint-Éti ...
*
Saint-Étienne – Gorges de la Loire Nature Reserve
The Saint-Étienne – Gorges de la Loire Nature Reserve is a natural reserve located in Saint-Étienne, France. It was created on 1988 and is made up of 312 hectares of the river Loire
The Loire (, also ; ; oc, Léger, ; la, Liger) is ...
*
André César Vermare
André-César Vermare (27 November 1869 – 7 August 1949) was a French sculptor, known for his war memorials and monuments.
Biography
Vermare was the son of the sculptor Pierre Vermare. He entered the École nationale des beaux-arts in Lyon i ...