Saint-Savin, Hautes-Pyrénées
| Saint-Savin | ||
|---|---|---|
A view of Saint-Savin
|
||
|
||
 Saint-Savin
|
||
|
Location within Occitanie region
Saint-Savin
|
||
| Coordinates: 42°58′50″N 0°05′22″W / 42.9806°N 0.0894°WCoordinates: 42°58′50″N 0°05′22″W / 42.9806°N 0.0894°W | ||
| Country | France | |
| Region | Occitanie | |
| Department | Hautes-Pyrénées | |
| Arrondissement | Argelès-Gazost | |
| Canton | Argelès-Gazost | |
| Intercommunality | Haute Cornouaille | |
| Area1 | 3.86 km2 (1.49 sq mi) | |
| Population (1999)2 | 353 | |
| • Density | 91/km2 (240/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 65396 /65400 | |
| Elevation | 433–1,320 m (1,421–4,331 ft) | |
|
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. |
||
.svg)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
Saint-Savin is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department, and the Occitanie region, in south-western France. The community was founded in the fourth century as a Benedictine abbey under the protection of St. Martin.
The inhabitants (gentilés) of Saint-Savin are called “Saint-Savinois”.
One of the best places to view Saint-Savin is from the sixteenth-century chapel, Notre Dame de Piétat.
One legend concerns the name Pyrenees. In the ancient past, Hercules visited the area, and fell in love with a beautiful girl named Pyrene, who happened to be a daughter of the King of Cerdagne. The king refused to allow Pyrene to marry Hercules, and so the desperate girl ran away. Hercules searched for her, but found her too late: she had been killed by wild cats. Hercules buried the body, and covered her grave with stones, which subsequently became the mountains.
Roland, a warrior who was part of the court of Charlemagne, also has an important legendary connection to the area. In exchange for room and board at the Saint-Savin convent, Roland is said to have fought and killed two giants, Passamont and Alabaster, who, much to the monks' dismay, were living close to their priory.
The known history of the Abbey of Saint-Savin-en-Lavedan dates back to 945. The counts and viscounts of Bigorre financed and helped arrange a major part of the construction and decoration of the monastery, and the abbey enjoyed prosperity for quite some time. In the thirteenth century, it controlled the territory of seven municipalities.
...
Wikipedia