The Prior's mill

Origins and development of Saint-Anthème

In the 9th century, Benedictine monks from the abbey of Manglieu, near Issoire, founded a priory dedicated to Saint Blaise. These land-clearing monks also built a mill (the prior's mill) on a mill race of the Ance du Nord. The first houses of the village grew up around the priory on a rocky spur. From the end of the 16th century, under the impetus of the Hérail de Pierrefort la Roue family, Saint-Anthème saw significant development, notably the building of the place de la Halle and the château (of which only the Renaissance gateway survives). The Grande-Rue pierces the ramparts to link new districts to the north. Around 1750, the royal road that crosses the canalised Ance du Nord fixed the development of the village towards the west. Inns and shops were built along this axis while the place de l'Aubépin appeared around 1760. In the 20th century, various outlying districts developed along the main roads.

Start: From the tourist office, place de l'Aubépin, take the D996 towards Ambert and cross the bridge over the Ance.

1. Shortly before the edge of the village, take a road on the right climbing to the left of an iron cross. At the junction with the road to Prabouré (D252), continue straight on.

2. At the first fork, bear right. A little further on, leave the road for a track that goes off to the left into the wood. At the junction with a new road, continue straight on to cross the “Village du Relief”. Then turn right towards the Napoleonic “coursière” (a shortcut path) that leads to the “Plat du Trapie”.

3. At a hairpin, turn left onto a wide lane that descends gently through the beechwood.

4. About 800 m further on, fork left again onto a narrow, sunken track. At the fork continue going down to the left (viewpoint over the Ance valley, the massifs of Haute-Loire, Saint-Anthème and the leisure centre).

5. At the hamlet of Ronchoux, facing the wash-house, turn right, then left to rejoin the D996 and the tourist office.