Saint-Céré

Saint-Céré (French pronunciation: ​[sɛ̃ seʁe]; Languedocien: Sant Seren) is a commune in the Lot department, southern France.[2] Its population is 3,414 (2019). The commune includes within its borders the castle of Saint-Laurent-les-Tours, where the artist Jean Lurçat lived and worked for many years, and from which he operated a secret radio for the French Resistance.[3] The castle still houses a collection of his works.

Saint-Céré
Commune
La Bave and the Quai des Récollets
Coat of arms
Location of Saint-Céré
Saint-Céré
Saint-Céré
Coordinates: 44°51′35″N 1°53′30″E
CountryFrance
RegionOccitania
DepartmentLot
ArrondissementFigeac
CantonSaint-Céré
IntercommunalityCausses et Vallée de la Dordogne
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Dominique Bizat
Area
1
11.33 km2 (4.37 sq mi)
Population
 (Jan. 2019)[1]
3,414
 • Density300/km2 (780/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
46251 /46400
Elevation141–523 m (463–1,716 ft)
(avg. 152 m or 499 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Geography

Location

The town is located in the centre of a small metropolitan area, in the Quercy, northeast of the Causse de Gramat and west of Segala, between Lacapelle-Marival and Bretenoux, in the valley of the Bave, tributary of the Dordogne river, and on the northern edge of the Limargue. It is the city-centre of the urban unit of Saint-Céré.

Located at the crossroad of the routes to Limousin, Auvergne and Quercy, Saint-Céré is a sought after place to stay due to its location and an excellent point of departure for many walks and excursions in the Haut-Quercy.

Hydrography

The Bave river, a tributary of the Dordogne, flows through the town.

Geology and relief

The area of the commune is 1,133 hectares; its altitude varies from 141 to 523 meters.[4]

At the town hall, the altitude of Saint-Céré is 155 meters. It rises from 141 meters at Bave river to 523 meters in the southern part of the commune.

Climate

Saint-Céré has the distinction of being at the junction of the three types of temperate climates: there is a Temperate Oceanic climate, with Mediterranean and Continental influences, characterised by a dry and hot summer, a sunny autumn, a mild winter. In the shelter of the foothills of the Massif Central, the Vent d'Autan is here moderate.

Toponymy

Saint-Céré is based on the Christian hagiotoponym of Serenus of Marseille.[5]

During the French Revolution, the commune bore the name of Franc-Céré and Sen Céré (or Seu-Céré).[6]

In Occitan, the name of the municipality is Sant Seren.

Local culture and heritage
  • La place du Mercadial, its fountain and the 15th century Consuls' House, which was declared a historic monument in 1991[7]
  • L'hôtel de Puymule, 15th-century, was listed as a historical monument in 1929[8]
  • L'hôtel de Miramon[9]
  • La maison consulaire[10]
  • Several wood-panelled houses
  • Église Sainte-Spérie, dating from the 10th century, inscribed as a historical monument in 1979[11]
  • Église des Récollets, 17th century, listed as a historic monument in 1973[12]
  • Statue of Marshal Canrobert
  • Statue of Charles Bourseul (1924) by Giovanni Pinotti Cipriani (also sculptor of the monument to the dead in the square of the Place de la République)
  • Château de Montal, 14th-century, listed as a historical monument in 1909. The domain is partly located in the commune of Saint-Jean-Lespinasse.[13]

See also

References
  1. "Populations légales 2019". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 29 December 2021.
  2. INSEE commune file
  3. http://www.st-cere.com/guides/St-Laurent-les-Tours.html Archived 2010-09-05 at the Wayback Machine
  4. "Répertoire Géographique des Communes 2011". public.opendatasoft.com. Retrieved 2019-07-17.
  5. Bazalgues, Gaston (2002). À la découverte des noms de lieux du Quercy. Toponymie lotoise (Éditions de la Bouriane et du Quercy ed.). Gourdon. p. 53. ISBN 2-910540-16-2.
  6. Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Saint-Céré, EHESS. (in French)
  7. Base Mérimée: Ancienne maison consulaire, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
  8. Base Mérimée: Ancien hôtel de Puymule, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
  9. Base Mérimée: Maison Louis XIII, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
  10. Base Mérimée: Ancienne maison consulaire, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
  11. Base Mérimée: Eglise et sa crypte de Sainte-Spérie, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
  12. Base Mérimée: Eglise des Récollets, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
  13. Base Mérimée: Domaine de Montal (également sur commune de Saint-Céré), Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
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