Saint-Etienne Tourist Attractions
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St-Etienne, chief town of the département of Loire, lies southwest of Lyons on the little river Furan, a few kilometers east of the upper Loire. Its importance as a busy industrial center dates only from the 19th century. As the principal center in the Loire coalfield, it has developed a variety of industry - most importantly metal-working, but also the manufacture of arms and glass. It has been noted since the 16th century for the manufacture of ribbons. The people of St- Etienne are called Stéphanois (Etienne = Stephen).
Saint Etienne - St Etienne Church
In the center of St-Etienne is the Place de l'Hôtel-de-Ville, in which stands the Town Hall (1882).Southwest of the Place de l'Hôtel-de-Ville, in Place Boivin, is the 15th C church of St- Etienne, which was damaged during the wars of religion. Around the square are a number of 16th C houses, and in the adjoining Place du Peuple is a fine half-timbered house, also 16th C. A little way south is the Comédie de St-Etienne, a theater founded by Jean Dasté in 1947, which has had, and continues to have, a great influence on the theater in France.
Saint Etienne - Museum of Art and Industry
The Museum of Art and Industry, to the south of the Saint Etienne city center, has four sections devoted to mining, arms technology, textile manufacture and two-wheeled vehicles - all subjects of economic importance to St-Etienne.
Saint Etienne - Museum of Modern Art
In Saint Etienne, in the northern district of La Terrasse is the new Museum of Modern Art, a long tile-faced building designed by Didier Guichard (1987), with a large collection which ranks it among the leading French museums. It displays works by the "classic" modern painters such as Picasso, Léger, Miró, Picabia and Schwitters, but concentrates particularly on the art of the post- war period including the German Neo- Expressionists.
Saint Etienne - Surroundings
Around Saint Etienne are castles and a hat museum.
Chazelles-sur-Lyon
25km/15mi northeast of St-Etienne is the little town of Chazelles-sur-Lyon. The Musée du Chapeau (Hat Museum) illustrates the history and explains the techniques of hat-making.
Grangent
West of St Etienne is one of the few dams on the Loire, forming the long narrow Lac de Grangent, which is almost completely surrounded by forest. On what was formerly a hill but is now an island in the lake is the ruined castle of Grangent.
Montbrison
36km/22mi northwest of Saint Etienne is the ancient little town of Montbrison, huddled around a hill between the Loire plain and the Monts du Forez. In the south of the town, near the river Vizézy, is the Gothic church of Notre-Dame- d'Espérance (early 13th C.), with a 15th C. doorway in Flamboyant style. Behind the apse is the former chapterhouse (known as the Diana), now used as a library, with a fine wooden ceiling of 1728. On the boulevard which runs around the town, to the west, is the Musée d'Allard, with an interesting collection of dolls and puppets and a cabinet of minerals. Beyond the museum is the Parc d'Allard.
Montrond les Bains
23km/14mi north of St-Etienne, on the right bank of the Loire, is the little spa of Montrond les Bains, with a ruined castle (14th-16th C) from which there are fine views of the hills of Forez and the Parc du Pilat.
Parc Régional du Pilat
This nature park - Parc Régional du Pilat - established in 1974, lies 3km/2mi southeast of St-Etienne and extends for a further 27km/17mi. It is centered on the Mont Pilat massif, which separates the Loire from the Rhône and reaches heights of 1370m/4,495ft in the Crêt de l'oeillon, to the northeast, and 1,432 m/4,698ft in the Crêt de la Perdrix. On the northern slopes of the range are a number of artificial lakes formed by dams.
St Galmier
16km/10mi north of St Etienne, on the little river Coise, is St-Galmier, with mineral springs which yield a well known table water. The church (15th-17th C.), in Flamboyant style, has a beautiful figure of the Virgin (the Vierge du Pilier) and a Flemish triptych.
Thais Cave, Bourg-de-Peage
This cave was inhabited by Cro-Magnon man, over 15,000 years ago. It was created by the nearby water, which shattered rocks and colorful walls. The cave is famous in the region as a prehistoric site, and includes exhibitions of prehistoric tools, including chipped flint and bone tools, among many other prehistoric items. They are on display in a reconstructed Magdalenian tent shelter.
