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Saint-Chamond () 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 the
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (; AURA) or ; or ; . is a Regions of France, region in southeast-central France created by the 2014 territorial reform of French regions; it resulted from the merger of Auvergne and Rhône-Alpes. The new region came into e ...
region 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 ...
.INSEE commune file
/ref> Situated 13 km northeast of the city of
Saint-Étienne Saint-Étienne (; Franco-Provençal: ''Sant-Etiève''), also written St. Etienne, is a city and the prefecture of the Loire département, in eastern-central France, in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regi ...
and 50 km southwest of
Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...
, the town dates back to the Roman period. It lies in an iron and coal region, which were the basis of industrial growth during the 19th and 20th centuries. As many of the mines and factories closed in the late 20th century due to restructuring, there was a loss of jobs and population. The present city of Saint-Chamond is the result of the merger in 1964 of the communes of Saint-Martin-en-Coailleux, Saint-Julien-en-Jarez, Izieux and Saint-Chamond. The new town is the third-largest town in the department.


Location

Saint-Chamond is located in the Gier valley between the Monts du Lyonnais to the north and Mont Pilat to the south. The peak of Perdrix, at is the highest in the Pilat massif. The "Saut du Gier" waterfall is in the Pilat Regional Natural Park. The peak of Œillon provides views of the Rhone valley, and sometimes of the
Mont-Blanc Mont Blanc (, ) is a mountain in the Alps, rising above sea level, located right at the France-Italy border, Franco-Italian border. It is the highest mountain in Europe outside the Caucasus Mountains, the List of European ultra-prominent peaks ...
massif. The city developed on both sides of the
Gier River The Gier () is a French river that flows in a northeast direction through the Loire and Rhône departments. It is a tributary of the Rhône, which it enters from the right bank. The Gier valley was formerly heavily industrialized with coal and iro ...
, the source of which is on Mont Pilat. The river flows east down the Gier valley for before entering the Rhone at Givors. The river was covered over within the city. Saint-Chamond is named after Saint Annemund, a seventh-century saint.


Geography and communities

Saint-Étienne Saint-Étienne (; Franco-Provençal: ''Sant-Etiève''), also written St. Etienne, is a city and the prefecture of the Loire département, in eastern-central France, in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regi ...
lies to the west and
Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...
about to the east. Surrounding towns are
Saint-Étienne Saint-Étienne (; Franco-Provençal: ''Sant-Etiève''), also written St. Etienne, is a city and the prefecture of the Loire département, in eastern-central France, in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regi ...
, Lorette, La Grand-Croix, L'Horme, Cellieu and Saint-Jean-Bonnefonds. Saint-Chamond is divided into several districts: * Fonsala, the largest district * Izieux * Le Creux * Lavieu * Saint-Ennemond * Saint-Julien-en-Jarez * Saint-Pierre * Chavanne * Les Palermes * La Chabure * Clos Marquet * La Varizelle * La Valette * Saint-Martin-en-Coailleux * Saint-Chamond centre. The town lies on the A47 highway between Lyon and Saint-Étienne. A second highway, the A45, is planned through the hamlet of Chavanne. One railway station serves the town. Various bus lines also provide local transport.


History

Saint-Chamond was originally a fort guarding one of five aqueducts that supplied the Roman city of
Lugdunum Lugdunum (also spelled Lugudunum, ; modern Lyon, France) was an important Colonia (Roman), Roman city in Gaul, established on the current site of Lyon, France, Lyon. The Roman city was founded in 43 BC by Lucius Munatius Plancus, but cont ...
(Lyon). The Gier aqueduct carried the waters of the river Gier captured upstream of Saint-Chamond. During the later Middle Ages, Saint-Chamond was a very important manor in the region and served as the capital of Jarez. Melchior Mitte de Chevrières, lord of Saint-Chamond, laid out the town. A number of older buildings survive, including House of Canons of the 15th and 16th sixteenth centuries (listed building), Hôtel-Dieu (historical monument); St. Peter's church from the 17th century, with 19th-century organs by Claude-Ignace Callinet (historical monument); and the 17th-century convent of the Minimes, now the town hall of Saint-Chamond. During the French Revolution, the castle of Saint-Chamond was destroyed by the peasants in 1792. Only the stables are still visible on the hill of Saint-Ennemond. During the revolution the name associated with the church was changed. The town was briefly called Vallée-Rousseau after the philosopher
Jean-Jacques Rousseau Jean-Jacques Rousseau (, ; ; 28 June 1712 – 2 July 1778) was a Republic of Geneva, Genevan philosopher (''philosophes, philosophe''), writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Age of Enlightenment through ...
. In 1793 the city of Lyon revolted against the Convention and was joined by Saint-Chamond. The governmental forces defeated the Lyonnaise army, leading to the evacuation of Saint-Chamond. The Convention sent Claude Javogues to the city, who imposed fines and
summary execution In civil and military jurisprudence, summary execution is the putting to death of a person accused of a crime without the benefit of a free and fair trial. The term results from the legal concept of summary justice to punish a summary offense, a ...
s to suppress unrest. In 1796 the town sent a mobile column against refractory priests and deserters.


Population

Saint-Chamond is the largest town in the Vallée du Gier metropolitan area and the third-largest population center in the Loire department, after Saint-Étienne and Roanne. In 1800 the town had about 5,000 inhabitants. With development of the coal and iron industries, the population rose steadily, peaking at more than 40,000 in 1982. Since then, many factories have closedl, and the population has decreased. The population data in the table and graph below refer to the commune of Saint-Chamond proper, in its geography at the given years. The commune of Saint-Chamond absorbed the former communes of Izieux, Saint-Julien-en-Jarez and Saint-Martin-en-Coailleux in 1964.


Economy

Starting in 1771 the Neyrand brothers had become owners of several coal mines and ironworks in the valley of the
Gier river The Gier () is a French river that flows in a northeast direction through the Loire and Rhône departments. It is a tributary of the Rhône, which it enters from the right bank. The Gier valley was formerly heavily industrialized with coal and iro ...
. The community became a center of a region of coal and iron production in the 19th and 20th centuries, stimulating its industrialization and growth. In 1837 H. Pétin and J. M. Gaudet, mechanics and forgers, set up shops at Saint-Chamond and Rive-de-Gier. In 1841 Pétin et Gaudet introduced one of the first
steam hammer A steam hammer, also called a drop hammer, is an industrial power hammer driven by steam that is used for tasks such as shaping forgings and driving piles. Typically the hammer is attached to a piston that slides within a fixed Pneumatic cylin ...
s at their works. Later they introduced innovations such as a mobile crane for moving large pieces around the works, and a hydraulic press. The company of Neyrand frères et Thiollière was formed in January 1845 to exploit an enlarged and modernized factory at Lorette. These companies merged on 14 November 1854, forming the Compagnie des Hauts-fourneaux, forges et aciéries de la Marine et des chemins de fer. The company, which engaged in extracting, processing and selling iron and coal, was initially based in Rive-de-Gier. On 9 November 1871 it moved its headquarters to Saint-Chamond and became a limited company. The factories were mainly concentrated 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 ...
basin, in Saint-Chamond and Assailly. In 1880 Saint-Chamond was the world capital of the lace industry. This industry was founded by Charles François Richard, assisted by his son Ennemond Richard. Eighteen years later, the Manufactures Réunies company was formed by merging ten of the largest manufacturers of lace. During
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
(1914-1918) the steel company built several different types of weapons, notably the
Saint Chamond-Mondragón In Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Anglican, Oriental Ortho ...
75 mm gun, which had been designed mostly by colonel Rimailho, the Saint-Chamond tank, and the Chauchat machine rifle. They also produced naval guns, such as the quadruple-gun turret design for the unfinished s. Industrial restructuring affected the region in the postwar period, as costs rose for mining. In the 1950s the city's last mine at Clos Marquet was closed. The steelworks became part of the Creusot-Loire group, which had 28 factories and 39,000 employees in the region, including 3,100 in Saint-Chamond.


Twin towns

Saint-Chamond is twinned with: * Grevenbroich, Germany *
Sant Adrià de Besòs Sant Adrià de Besòs () is a city and a municipality within the comarca of Barcelonès in Catalonia, north-eastern Spain. It is situated on the Mediterranean coast, at the mouth of river Besòs, extending to both sides of the estuary although th ...
, Spain


Personalities

* Andy Dahmani, French-Algerian professional footballer *
Edmond Locard Dr. Edmond Locard (13 December 1877 – 4 May 1966) was a French criminologist, the pioneer in forensic science who became known as the "Sherlock Holmes of France". He formulated the basic principle of forensic science: "Every contact leaves a ...
(1877–1966), pioneer of forensic science *
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� ...
,
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 ...
world champion * Nico Prost, racing driver and son Alain Prost *
Ravachol François Claudius Ravachol (; born Koenigstein; 14 October 1859 – 11 July 1892) was a French illegalist anarchist mainly known for his terrorist activism, impact, the myths developed around his figure and his influence on the anarchist moveme ...
, anarchist


See also

* André César Vermare, sculptor who made the statue of Sadi Carnot in Saint-Chamond. * Charles-François Richard


Points of interest

* Jardin botanique de Saint-Chamond


References

Citations Sources * * * * * * *


External links


Official website
(in French) {{authority control Saintchamond Lyonnais Loire communes articles needing translation from French Wikipedia