| Mont Pilat | |
|---|---|
 Pilat viewed from Saint-Chamond, Loire | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Crêt de la Perdrix |
| Elevation | 1,432 m (4,698 ft) |
| Coordinates | 45°22′57″N4°34′21″E / 45.382477°N 4.572537°E |
| Geography | |
  Mont Pilat | |
| Country | France |
| Department | Rhône, Loire |
Mont Pilat or the Pilat massif is a mountainous area in the east of the Massif Central of France.
The origin of the name "Pilat" is uncertain. The word may have a Latin origin (Mons Pileatus). [1] Another legend says that the body of Pontius Pilate was buried in the massif. [2]
For a long time Mont Pilat designated the main mountain, with the double peaks or crests (crêts) of Perdrix and Oeillon. [3] Modern maps generally designate this area as Les Crêts. [4] However, the Conseil supérieur de l'audiovisuel (CSA) continues to use the term Mont Pilat to refer to the television transmitter on the Crêt de l'Oeillon. [5]
The whole mountain range is commonly called Mont Pilat. [6] [7] The Communauté de communes des Monts du Pilat coordinates various administrative and developmental functions for the communes in the massif. [8] The term Pilat is also used to refer to the area that became the Parc naturel régional du Pilat in 1974. [9]
The Pilat massif is part of the French Massif Central range. It lies in the extreme east of the range looking over the Rhone valley. The overall orientation of the massif is from south-west to north-east, creating a variety of climates. The massif generally rises about 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) above its surroundings. Perdrix (Partridge mountain) rises to 1,431 metres (4,695 ft) above sea level and Pyfara and Panère are 1,390 metres (4,560 ft) high. [10] Pilat is separated from the Monts du Lyonnais to the north by the Saint-Étienne basin, the Gier valley. [11]
The Gier rises at La Jasserie on the Perdrix mountain at about 1,300 metres (4,300 ft). [12] The river runs along the north side of the massif for 40.3 kilometres (25.0 mi) before joining the Rhone at Givors. [13] The Gier receives the Janon from its left at Saint-Chamond. The Janon from Terrenoire (now part of Saint-Étienne) to Saint-Chamond and then the Gier from Saint-Chamond to Givors create a valley in the coal basin that runs between the Pilat massif and the Riverie chain of the Monts du Lyonnais. [14]
Pilat has a wide variety of plants, reflecting different climate zones in a relatively small area. The Rhone valley on the south of the massif has a warm Mediterranean climate. Fruit trees and vineyards are cultivated on the south-facing slopes. On the north side there is a cooler continental climate, with conifers, juniper and ferns. There is heavy snow in the winter. On the crests, the altitude, winds and snow prevent the growth of trees. Vegetation includes heath plants such as heather and bilberry.
| Climate data for Mont Pilat (Crêt de l'Oeillon), 1370m (1981−2010 normals, 1994−2012 extremes) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 17.8 (64.0) | 16.0 (60.8) | 19.2 (66.6) | 21.5 (70.7) | 25.6 (78.1) | 31.2 (88.2) | 29.1 (84.4) | 32.6 (90.7) | 25.3 (77.5) | 23.6 (74.5) | 17.7 (63.9) | 14.6 (58.3) | 32.6 (90.7) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 1.8 (35.2) | 2.4 (36.3) | 4.6 (40.3) | 8.1 (46.6) | 13.1 (55.6) | 17.1 (62.8) | 19.2 (66.6) | 18.8 (65.8) | 14.0 (57.2) | 10.4 (50.7) | 4.1 (39.4) | 1.9 (35.4) | 9.6 (49.3) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −0.7 (30.7) | −0.4 (31.3) | 1.6 (34.9) | 4.7 (40.5) | 9.4 (48.9) | 13.1 (55.6) | 14.9 (58.8) | 14.9 (58.8) | 10.7 (51.3) | 7.7 (45.9) | 1.8 (35.2) | −0.6 (30.9) | 6.4 (43.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −3.3 (26.1) | −3.2 (26.2) | −1.4 (29.5) | 1.3 (34.3) | 5.6 (42.1) | 9.0 (48.2) | 10.7 (51.3) | 10.9 (51.6) | 7.4 (45.3) | 5.0 (41.0) | −0.6 (30.9) | −3.1 (26.4) | 3.2 (37.7) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −15.5 (4.1) | −20.4 (−4.7) | −16.8 (1.8) | −9.3 (15.3) | −4.1 (24.6) | −1.4 (29.5) | 2.2 (36.0) | 1.3 (34.3) | −1.5 (29.3) | −8.8 (16.2) | −12.6 (9.3) | −17.3 (0.9) | −20.4 (−4.7) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 53.8 (2.12) | 42.1 (1.66) | 48.3 (1.90) | 73.4 (2.89) | 103.8 (4.09) | 76.2 (3.00) | 76.3 (3.00) | 77.1 (3.04) | 79.6 (3.13) | 116.8 (4.60) | 121.5 (4.78) | 68.0 (2.68) | 936.9 (36.89) |
| Source: Meteociel [15] | |||||||||||||
Flint and pottery found in the municipality of Saint-Genest-Malifaux show that humans were present in pre-historic times. During the Celtic era the Pilat was shared by two Celtic peoples, the Segusiavi and the Allobroges. They left many places of worship, arrangements of stones such as those at Château de Belize above Chuyer, the Rock Altar Roisey and La Garde, the sacred precincts of Saint-Sabin and the peak of the Three Teeth, and especially the "Menhir du Flat" near Colombier.
In Roman times the water of the river Gier was supplied to Lyon through the aqueduct of the Gier. The water was collected above Saint-Chamond and routed through tunnels, of which there are remains at Chagnon and Saint-Martin-la-Plaine, and aqueducts such as the one at Chaponost. During the Roman era Pilat formed the border between the provinces of Gallia Narbonensis and Gallia Lugdunensis . There are remains of Roman roads in places such as Pélussin and Saint-Régis-du-Coin.
On 1 November 1944 a U.S. Army Douglas C-47 Skytrain crashed due to bad weather carrying five crew members, army nurse lieutenant Aleda E. Lutz and fifteen wounded of whom some were German prisoners. There were no survivors. It took several hours for help to arrive. The crash occurred in the hollow of La Botte not far from La Jasserie, where a monument was raised in 2002 commemorating the accident. [16]
The Pilat is mostly located in the Loire department southeast of the city of Saint-Étienne and southwest of the cities of Vienne and Givors. The massif is bordered by the departments of Rhône, Isère, Ardèche and Haute-Loire.
The communes of the Communauté de communes des Monts du Pilat are Bourg-Argental, Burdignes, Colombier, Graix, Jonzieux, La Versanne, Le Bessat, Marlhes, Planfoy, Saint-Genest-Malifaux, Saint-Julien-Molin-Molette, Saint-Régis-du-Coin, Saint-Romain-les-Atheux, Saint-Sauveur-en-Rue, Tarentaise and Thélis-la-Combe. [17]
Sainte-Croix-en-Jarez lies in northern Pilat. Once it was a fortified 13th century monastery, but after the French Revolution it became a village. The high country around the Crêt de la Perdrix and the Crêt de l'Œillon is popular for cross-country skiing in the winter. [6] The region is attractive to motorcyclists, with winding roads leading through bright valleys and deep forests, and with magnificent views of the Alps and the Massif Central. [7]
The Saut du Gier waterfall near the head of the Gier is in the Pilat Regional Natural Park. [18] It is a trickle in the summer, but a waterfall in autumn and spring.
The Pierre des Trois évêques (Three Bishops' Stone) is in the commune of Saint-Régis-du-Coin. [19] It marked the meeting point of three provinces of Roman Gaul: Lyon, Narbonne and Aquitaine. Under Charlemagne the stone marked the point where Aquitaine, Provence and Burgundy met, and was used as a reference point during the partition of the empire in 843 AD. In the Middle Ages it delineated the Archdioceses of Lyon, Vienna and Puys. [20]
The Pierre Saint-Martin (Saint Martin's Stone) is located near Mont Chaussitre. According to legend, Saint Martin of Tours left his mark here when he moved. Since then, according to local belief, the stone would be able to help young children to walk.
The following is a list of the 323 communes of the Loire department of France.
The Massif Central is a highland region in south-central France, consisting of mountains and plateaus. It covers about 15% of mainland France.
Saint-Chamond is a commune in the Loire department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in central France. Situated 13 km northeast of the city of Saint-Étienne and 50 km southwest of Lyon, the town dates back to the Roman period.
Givors is a commune in the Metropolis of Lyon in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France.
The arrondissement of Saint-Étienne is located in the Loire department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France. It has 75 communes. Its population is 423,286 (2016), and its area is 1,057.5 km2 (408.3 sq mi).
The following is a list of the 21 cantons of the Loire department, in France, following the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015:
The A45 autoroute was a proposed motorway in central France scheduled to open in 2015. Work stopped after initial studies in 1993. It will be controlled by a motorway company as yet unannounced. It will be a toll road. It will replace the A47, known for being obsolete and accident-prone. It will be privately managed in order to profitably be capable of bearing the intense traffic that will be brought to it from the influx of motorists to the A45 who currently drive on the A47. The project is officially dropped in 2018.
Doizieux is a commune in the Loire department in central France.
Mouxy is a commune in the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.
La Grand-Croix is a commune and the seat of a canton in the Loire department in central France. It lies in the Gier valley.
Lorette is a commune in the Loire department in central France, in the Gier valley.
Saint-Étienne Métropole is the métropole, an intercommunal structure, centred on the city of Saint-Étienne. It is located in the Loire department, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, central France. It was created in January 2018, replacing the previous Communauté urbaine Saint-Étienne Métropole. Its area is 723.5 km2. Its population was 404,607 in 2018, of which 173,089 in Saint-Étienne proper.
The Monts du Lyonnais are a range of low-altitude mountains and eastern foothills of the Massif Central located in the Loire and Rhône departments in France.
The Gier is a French river that flows in a northeast direction through the Loire and Rhône departments. It is a tributary of the Rhône, which it enters from the right bank. The Gier valley was formerly heavily industrialized with coal and iron mines and factories.
The Dorlay is a river that flows through the Loire department, France. It is a tributary of the Gier, which in turn is a tributary of the Rhône. The Gier valley was formerly heavily industrialized with coal and iron mines and factories.
The Janon is a small river that rises in Mont Pilat in the Massif Central of France near to Saint-Étienne. It runs for 13.9 kilometres (8.6 mi) through mostly built-up country to join the Gier at Saint-Chamond. The valley of the Janon and the Gier is a natural line of communication between the coal mines of Saint-Étienne and the port of Givors on the Rhône. For many years there were plans to build a canal along this line. A westward extension to the Loire would link the Mediterranean with the Atlantic, but this never materialized. In 1833 the first railway in France was opened along the line of the Janon and Gier. It is also a common name for baby boys. From FSA to Roswell.
The Couzon is a river in the Loire department of France, a tributary of the Gier, which in turn is a tributary of the Rhône. A dam on the river, built to serve as a reservoir for the Givors canal, now provides drinking water to the town of Rive-de-Gier.
The canton of Le Pilat is a French administrative division located in the department of Loire and the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. At the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015, the canton was renamed and expanded from 14 to 35 communes:
The Communauté de communes Le Grésivaudan is a communauté de communes in the Isère département and in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes région of France. It was formed on 1 January 2009 by the merger of several former communautés de communes. Its seat is in Crolles. Its area is 676.7 km2, and its population was 101,729 in 2018.
Daniel Mandon was a French teacher and politician of the Centre of Social Democrats (CDS) and the UDF.
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