Saint-May

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Saint-May
Saint-May coat of arms
Saint-May (France)
Saint-May
region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Department Drôme
Arrondissement Nyons
Canton Nyons et Baronnies
Community association Baronnies en Drôme Provençale
Coordinates 44 ° 26 '  N , 5 ° 19'  E Coordinates: 44 ° 26 '  N , 5 ° 19'  E
height 382-1,173 m
surface 10.23 km 2
Residents 39 (January 1, 2017)
Population density 4 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code 26510
INSEE code 26318

Saint-May - town view

Saint-May ( Occitan : identical) is a municipality and a town with 39 inhabitants (at January 1, 2017) to the east of the department Drôme in the southern French region of Auvergne Rhône-Alpes . Since 2015 the place belongs to the " Parc naturel régional des Baronnies Provençales ".

location

The place Saint-May is surrounded by wooded mountains above the River Eygues at an altitude of about 420 to 520 m above sea level. d. M. around 24 km (driving distance) northeast of the small town of Nyons .

Population development

year 1800 1851 1901 1954 1999 2013
Residents 196 226 136 59 40 42

The continuous population decline is mainly due to the remote location of the place and the loss of jobs as a result of the mechanization of agriculture .

economy

The inhabitants of the place lived for centuries as a self-sufficiency from agriculture (agriculture and cattle breeding). Wine was also grown; the place still has the right to market its grapes through the Appellations Comtés Rhodaniens , Coteaux des Baronnies , Mediterranée and Drôme ; but because of the altitude, hardly any wine is grown. Instead, there are olive, apricot, cherry and apple trees to a lesser extent; there are also some lavender fields . Since the last decades of the 20th century, tourism has played the most important role in the economic life of the place in the form of renting holiday apartments ( gîtes ) .

Houses in place

history

Bodon Abbey was founded in the 6th century about two kilometers from today's location; its first abbot was Marius (Saint-May), later revered as saint . After raids by the Saracens and Hungarians , it was repeatedly restored until it was finally destroyed by Protestant troops at the end of the 16th century .

Attractions

  • The alleys in the place built on a mountain saddle are quite charming. One house is built directly onto a rock face.
  • The local cemetery (cimetière) was built on the site of a medieval defense tower ( donjon ) .
outside
  • The ruins of the Abbaye Bodon are still partially visible.
  • The Chapelle Saint-Marius was built into the former refectory of the abbey in the 17th century .

Web links

Commons : Saint-May  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Saint-May - Viticulture