Towns and Villages: Saint-Julien-Chapteuil

This page introduces the town of Saint-Julien-Chapteuil, the capital of the Meygal massif.

About Saint-Julien-Chapteuil

Saint-Julien-Chapteuil is not only the main town of the Meygal massif, but also for many years the "center point" of our holidays, during which we had been camping in Marcilhac near the Suc de Monac and, in the last few years, in Sumène, a village on the edge of Saint-Julien-Chapteuil. It was and still is our shopping and market place, a regional centre, and in spite of its small population by German standards it has a certain urban character. Its Romanesque church from the 11th and 12th century is well known, and also the former castle hill Chapteuil (1031 m) a few kilometres west of the village.

You can also see many tourists in the town while shopping or looking for a restaurant or accommodation. Most of them are presumably pilgrims, as the Way of St. James passes through the town to continue on to Le Puy, a well-known pilgrimage site and the capital of Haut Loire.

We should also mention the writer Jules Romain (1885-1972) as the most famous son of the toen, who however came too close to the Nazis, which damaged his reputation at least temporarily... Knock ou le Triomphe de la médecine (Knock or the triumph of medicine) is considered to be his best known work.

Mountains

Saint-Julien-Chapteuil is a municipality of medium mountains (840 m of average altitude). On its territory, several ancient volcanos called "sucs" rise, exceeding 1000 meters and forming part of the Meygal massif:

to the north: Mount Chanis (alt. 1,232 m), Mount Rouge (1,159 m), Peyre de Bard (1,200 m), the suc de la Faye (1,106 m);
to the east: le Mounier (1,407 m, the highest point of the commune), whose northern, western and southern flanks belong to the commune;
to the south: la Tortue (the Turtle, 1,327 m) and Montcharret (1,199 m), whose northern flanks lie in the commune;
in the centre, about 1 km from the village of Saint-Julien, rises the suc de Chapteuil (1031 m), remarkable for its basalt organs, and bearing a ruined tower.

The suc de Monac (1,022 m), even if it seems inextricably linked visually and pictorially to the village of Saint-Julien, is actually located in the neighbouring commune of Saint-Pierre-Eynac.

Additional Information

Numbers

Inhabitants: 1804 (1999), 1880 (2015), 1929 (2016/17)
Postal code: 43260
Average altitude: 840 m

Curiosities

The romaneque church of Saint-Julien is situated a little higher than the village. The beginnings of construction date back to the 11th century. It was classified as a historic monument in 1907.
Town center around the "church hill"
Views of the Meygal massif and the suc de Monac

Well-Known Persons

Jules Romain (1885–1972), writer (Knock ou le Triomphe de la médecine, Les Copaines, Les Hommes de bonne volonté); museum in the office of tourisme (they present a rekonstruction of his Paris workroom)

Facilities

Campground at the sports field
Special overnight accommodations for pilgrims of St. James
Supermarket, bakeries, butchers, small Casino shop in the centre of the village, pharmacy, banks, post office, various shops,....

Specialties

Transit place and overnight accomodations for pilgrims of St. James
Market on Mondays (and a small one on Sundays)
Boissy Chaussures (former shoe factory, now shoe shop)

Towns and Villages Near-by

Boussoulet (D15)
Mon(n)ac, Le Collet, Marcilhac (D28)
Saint Pierre-Eynac (D26), Eynac
Auteyrac
Le Betz (D49)

Road Connections

D15 from Le Puy (E) to Vienne (W)
- direction Le Puy forking north to N88
- direction Lantriac forking south in the direction of Le Monastier-sur-Gazeille
D28 heading north to Le Pertuis and to N88
D26 heading north to Saint-Pierre-Eynac
D49/150 heading south to Le Betz, the Gagne valley, etc.

Curiosities in the Environment

Chapteuil (basalt columns, ruins of an ancient castle)
Suc de Monac
Betz Observatory
Madonna of Saint-Pierre-Eynac
Rock of Eynac
Grottes of Peylenc
Moulin de Guerin
Ostrich farm

Map

Photo Album

See also the photos of the fête d'antan from August 2001: Series 1 | Series 2 | Series 3 | Series 4

2017

2014

2013

Hiking Tours

	Starting Point			Length	Duration	Altitude
Number	Recommended	Alternative	Name	(km)	h:min	min	max	References
PR167	St. Julien-Chapteuil		La Chapelette	10	2:50	800	1026	Le Pays des Sucs et du Meygal … à pied (11)
*PR167*	St. Julien-Chapteuil		Circuit de la Chapelette	13	3:15	820	1059	It. Péd. En Ht. Loire
PR167	St. Julien-Chapteuil		La Chapelette	7.1	2:15			"Gertrude's" new flyer
PR186	St. Julien-Chapteuil		Circuit de la Pradette	9.5	2:25	820	1070	It. Péd. En Ht. Loire
PR187	St. Julien-Chapteuil	La Chapuze	Circuit de Combe Noir	6.5	1:40	842	1020	23 – Autor de St. Hostien, sur le contreforts du Meygal (It. Péd. En Ht. Loire)
PR187	St. Julien-Chapteuil	La Chapuze	Combe Noir	5	1:40	842	980	Le Pays des Sucs et du Meygal … à pied (12)
*PR57*	St. Julien-Chapteuil		Circuit du Mont de la Tortue	14.5	3:45	820	1190	19 – En massif du Meygal (It. Péd. En Ht. Loire)
PR57	St. Julien-Chapteuil		Le Mont de la Tortue	13	3:30	830	1210	Le Pays des Sucs et du Meygal … à pied (13)
*PR60*	St. Julien-Chapteuil		Circuit du Fraisse	8.5	2:10	820	1015	19 – En massif du Meygal (It. Péd. En Ht. Loire)
No Nr.	Parking Moulin Guerin	La Chapuze	Mont Rouge	3.8				Extra brochure "Mont Rouge"
Magenta: Older version (Randonées pédestre et VTT au pays des sucs - Yssingeaux)
*Blue (italic number)*: Older version (Itineraires Pedestres en Haute-Loire)
Red: New

Details:

Respirando - Les sentiers de Promenades et Randonnées (PR) Respirando: www.respirando.fr/index.php/apied/les-sentiers-de-petites-randonnees-pr-respirando.html

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