Saint-Pal-de-Chalencon is a municipality of Haute-Loire in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, 30 km east of La Chaise-Dieu, on the borders of the departments of the Loire and Puy-de-Dome.
With a surface area of 29 km², the territory of the locality ranges from 700 to 978 m, falling from the middle mountain, south of the Forez Mountains, in the valley of Ance.
The town was founded in the twelfth century by the family of Chalencon, a powerful house of Velay, one branch will become the home of Polignac and another, the house of Grimaldi who reigns today on the Principality of Monaco!
Saint-Pal-de-Chalencon has retained a very important heritage built in the heart of its medieval walls partly preserved (towers, doors, castle, church, half-timbered houses...). The town is logically labeled Small City of Character.
And while it now has a little over 1000 inhabitants, there were almost 2500 in the mid-nineteenth century, where it was an important agricultural and artisanal village. This is still the case today, but tourism and industrial units related to wood or thermoforming (plastic) have completed its economy.
Its picturesque heritage and its environment "nature" make it a pleasant step during a stay in the region, and even a resort popular with lovers of green tourism.
In the heart of the fortified village, erected on a spur, in which we still enter through three doors (two of which are classified), the feudal castle remains of powerful appearance with its three towers. Built in the 12th century, it was rebuilt in the 15th century. Over time, modifications were made also for the sake of urbanism: the old courtyard of the castle adjacent to the church became a place in 1820 after demolition of the "west" wall and a tower. Since then, the castle has a "U" shape: one of the wings is private, the other houses the presbytery, some rooms have beautiful Gothic fireplaces and French ceilings. The large room with warheads, on the ground floor of the west wing, and has a monumental fireplace with a bearing of more than 7 m. From the outside, several styles are visible: a Renaissance tower on the courtyard side, the granitic bedrock, mullioned windows, gargoyles... On the dungeon, archers and gunboats are also visible. Protected as historical monuments, part of the castle can be visited by appointment at +33 4 71 61 74 34 or +33 4 71 66 19 53.
Always in the walled city, to see then the church Notre-Dame which succeeded a priory dependent on La Chaise-Dieu. The current building has been extensively reworked several times: the eighteenth century door framed by foothills of the nineteenth is an example. West side, a forecourt precedes the bell tower. Inside, the nave was modified in the 15th century. On the other hand, the vaulted choir of ogives which surmounts columns seems of the same time, and Louis XV woodwork and stalls of the 19th century complete the decoration. The south aisle serves as access: it is an old funerary chapel with the coat of arms of the Chalencon family of the 15th century. It houses in a niche a beautiful polychrome wooden Pietà of the fifteenth century and the bases of the pillars of the central nave are Gothic. The stained glass windows, the pulpit of 1708 and a large painting depicting the Descent of the Cross painted by a pupil of Delacroix are still noticeable. Finally, a very beautiful eighteenth-century Black Madonna and its altar constitute another "treasure" of the church. Open every day.
Old houses, sometimes with turrets or mullioned windows, towers and doors recalling the ancient walls, picturesque streets are still to be appreciated in the historic center of the locality which, after the fifteenth century especially, has obviously expanded outside the original walls.
And other heritage elements are also to be admired beyond the ancient city. This is the case of the Calvary of Lurou, also referred to as "Ossory Cross of Boisset-haut", in reference to the location where it is located. It consists of elements that belonged to an older monument. It houses a carved cross double-sided fifteenth century. We have some very elaborate details: florets with curved leaves, Christ with closed eyes, angels collecting blood. At the bottom of the cross, several characters are represented: Saint John supporting the Virgin, Mary Magdalene, and under a canopy (baldachin) Gothic style, the Virgin, again, and a Pietà.
Finally, after this true little masterpiece, at the crossroads of a pilgrimage route to Le Puy, a detour is required by the chapel Notre-Dame de Lorette, restored in the eighteenth century on the foundations of a building more old and again rebuilt in 1897. The edifice seems nondescript but houses an exceptional work: it is the polychrome stone group placed on the tabernacle. There are four figures: the Virgin, the Child and, on their right, two angels with folded wings. The author of this work remains unknown, but the donor could be a member of the house of Chalencon or the bishop of Rodez (late fifteenth).
In terms of leisure and "nature" activities, the territory of the municipality is crossed by many hiking trails and circuits dedicated to mountain biking. They have been designed and marked by the Community of Communes and connect points of view, pleasant areas for their flora or even heritage elements.
Finally, some of them take up some of the old pilgrimage routes. Maps and information on +33 4 71 61 74 34 or +33 4 71 66 19 53.
It is also pleasant to enjoy the health course located near the hamlet of Tanlas (parking along the RD 12). It has been drawn in the forest on a length of 3 km and includes various tackle (obstacles, stairs, parallel bars, fixed bar...).
In summer, finally, to combine relaxation and swimming, the municipal pool has a heated outdoor pool. Open in the afternoon in July and August. Price: 3 euros. Such. : +33 4 71 61 33 87.
