Lorette () is a
commune in the
Loire
The Loire ( , , ; ; ; ; ) 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.
It rises in the so ...
department in central
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, in the
Gier valley.
Geography
Lorette lies in the valley of the
Gier, a coal mining region, on the south bank of the Giers just east of
La Grand-Croix.
The
Dorlay river, a tributary of the
Gier that rises in
Mont Pilat, defines the west border of the commune.
History
The region was developed in the 19th century for coal mining.
In 1830 the Jackson brothers (Frères Jackson) built a steel works at Assailly in what is now the north of Lorette. As a result of a merger, in 1854 this became part of the
Compagnie des Hauts-fourneaux, forges et aciéries de la Marine et des chemins de fer, based in
Rive-de-Gier.
Lorette was created on 27 April 1847 in response to the development of the steelworks, particularly that of the Jackson Brothers.
It includes the old quarters of the municipalities of
Saint-Paul-en-Jarez, Saint-Genis-Terrenoire (now
Genilac),
Rive-de-Gier and
Farnay.
Churches
Lorette has two places of worship.
Notre Dame, located in the bottom of the town, was completely renovated a few years ago. It is a very light church, since the stained glass has been replaced by large windows. Only two stained glass windows remain above the choir. Currently, it is mainly used in large masses and ceremonies. The John XXIII chapel is located on the main street of the town, just down the road. Shaped as a theater, the choir of the chapel is at the bottom of the steps in a pit. It is used every Sunday for mass.
Population
Personalities
*
Étienne Rival born 15 November 1855 - Priest
*
Alain Prost
Alain Marie Pascal Prost (; born 24 February 1955) is a French former racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from to . Nicknamed "the Professor", Prost won four Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles and†...
born 24 February 1955 at the clinique Les Berceaux - 4-time
Formula One
Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...
champion
*
Michel Corringe died at Lorette le 2 October 2001 - Singer
*
Jean Delay
Jean Delay (14 November 1907, Bayonne – 29 May 1987, Paris) was a French psychiatrist, neurologist, writer, and a member of the Académie française (Chair 17).
His assistant Pierre Deniker conducted a test of chlorpromazine on the male me ...
born at Lorette 19 October 1879 - Bishop of Marseille
See also
*
Communes of the Loire department
The following is a list of the 320 communes of the Loire department of France.
The communes cooperate in the following intercommunalities (as of 2025):
References
Communes of Loire (department)
{{Loire-geo-stub