Saint-Marcellin-en-Forez | |
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Commune | |
Bridge at Vérines | |
![]() Location of Saint-Marcellin-en-Forez | |
| Coordinates:45°29′53″N4°10′05″E / 45.4981°N 4.1681°E /45.4981; 4.1681 | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes |
| Department | Loire |
| Arrondissement | Montbrison |
| Canton | Saint-Just-Saint-Rambert |
| Intercommunality | CA Loire Forez |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2020–2026) | Éric Lardon[1] |
Area 1 | 31.09 km2 (12.00 sq mi) |
| Population (2022)[2] | 5,088 |
| • Density | 163.7/km2 (423.9/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 42256 /42680 |
| Elevation | 379–640 m (1,243–2,100 ft) (avg. 407 m or 1,335 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Saint-Marcellin-en-Forez (French pronunciation:[sɛ̃maʁsəlɛ̃ɑ̃fɔʁɛ], literallySaint-Marcellin inForez;Occitan:Sant Marcelin) is acommune in theLoiredepartment in centralFrance.[3]
Saint-Marcellin-en-Forez is at an ancient crossroads betweenBurgundy andVelay, on the highway from theForez andMontbrison toward the only bridge known in the south of theLoire, which was atSaint-Rambert.
The origins of the city date back to the early Middle Ages. The earliest written reference to the town dates from 984, but a treasure of about 500 4th-century coins (discovered in 1884) indicates an even earlier settlement.
The parish church is mentioned in 1225 and the town's fortifications in 1286. The town is surrounded by a double ring of ramparts of the thirteenth century and the fifteenth century, which gives it a solid appearance. The fortifications are pictured inGuillaume Revel's armorial (1450).
The old town, topped by a high tower, was a defensive structure that withstood repeated assaults. St Marcellin was the stronghold of the Counts of Forez, who had their castle within its walls. It then passed to the Dukes of Bourbon, then was annexed to the kingdom of France without ever having been conquered.[4]
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| Source: EHESS[5] and INSEE (1968-2017)[6] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Saint-Marcellin-en-Forez istwinned with: