Saint-Flour (Cantal)

Saint -Flour is a commune in the French region of Auvergne and with 6665 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2011) to Aurillac the second largest city of the Cantal. Located on a basalt plateau on the river the other city is the seat of the prefecture ( sous- préfecture French ) for the district of Saint -Flour, which is composed of nine cantons. It is the seat of the diocese of Saint -Flour.

History

A first settlement was built around the grave of - eponymous - Saints Florus, who had proselytized in the 4th century in the Auvergne. In the Middle Ages, the city had on the solidified lava flow 7,000 inhabitants and was raised in 1317 by the pope to the bishop 's seat.

Attractions

• The old town is the Upper Town. Here numerous Renaissance houses are preserved.
• The St- Pierre Cathedral was re- built on the site of a collapsed five-aisled Romanesque church 1398-1466 as a Gothic church. It has important pieces of equipment, such as a black Christ on the Cross and Entombment of Christ.
• The " Pont Vieux " is a three-arched stone bridge over the the other. It was already mentioned in 1404; 1734 and 1769 it was made after flood damage again.
• The Musée Douet shows regional art and furniture typical of the region.

Others

• Jacques Offenbach composed with " La Rose de Saint -Flour " ( the Rose of Saint -Flour ) a gambling in the Auvergne operetta ( libretto by Michel Carré ), which premiered on June 12, 1856 in Paris.

Twinning

• Since 1992 there has been twinned with Haselünne in Emsland ( Lower Saxony).
• The community maintains a partnership with the French city of Orléans.

Sons and daughters of the town

• Jacques Paul Migne (1800-1875), French priest