QR Saint-Maurice-ès-Allier 0
Saint-Maurice
Between the Allier and Puy Saint-Romain
Stretching from the 781-metre-high Puy Saint-Romain to the banks of the Allier, the commune comprises two ancient villages established at the foot of the ancient volcano: the market town of Saint-Maurice, the administrative centre, and the village of Lissac, farther south. The hamlets of Sainte-Marguerite and Charbonnier lie to the south-west of the commune, on the banks of the Allier.
In the Middle Ages, the land was divided between the Counts of Auvergne and the Abbots of Manglieu, who had a priory there. Saint-Maurice’s reputation for wine growing was already well established, as the abbots of Manglieu collected the wine tithe, a historical crop tax, for their own purse. At the end of the Middle Ages, fortifications were built to keep villagers safe during a period of long-term danger.
The modern period saw a boom in wine growing. In the 19th century, almost half of the commune was planted with vines. This was the heyday of Saint-Maurice, whose wine, like the wine from other Limagne villages, was shipped by water to Paris, before phylloxera put an abrupt end to that practice in 1890.
This period also saw the beginning of a short-lived operation of the small spa town of Sainte-Marguerite, built on springs that had been used since ancient times. At the turn of the 20th century, this was followed by the production of a « finely sparkling » mineral water, which is still sold today.
- Margot fountain
- Sainte-Marguerite (information panel)
- Bourg de Saint-Maurice (information panel)
- The forts
- Parc des Chanvres
- Dovecote
- Walnut oil mills
- Panorama
- Pump fountain
- Puy Saint-Romain
Tour length:
- Basic route: 7.1 km
- Puy Saint-Romain option: 3.9 km