Saint-Dié-des-Vosges

Sister cities

• Lowell
• Friedrichshafen
• Meckhe
• Arlon
• Crikvenica
• Zakopane
• Lorraine
• Cattolica

History

Saint-Dié (Lat. Deodatum, Theodata, S. Deodati Fanum) is named for Saint Deodat. A holy man who was known as "le bonhomme", he founded a ban (a political and Christian subdivision of the royal territory) in the 7th century that was originally called Foresta. Some religious historians believed he was the bishop of Nevers, Deodatus of Nevers. Deodatus gave up his official functions to retire to a desert dwelling. Other sources connect the name, however, with an earlier saint, Deodatus of Blois (d. 525). Archeological and historical records confirm the total time that this area has been inhabited. One hypothesis holds that a column constructed by Romans on a site originally dedicated to Tiwaz – Tius, god of war – might explain ancient ceremonies in the old Saint-Dié chapel at the foot of Kemberg mountain (locally called Saint-Martin). Deodatus, who could have been an episcopus hiberniensis (bishop from Ireland) or an episcopus niverniensis (bishop from Nevers), would have lived in an old monastery or vieux moutier above the old chapel and a water source. Legends originating in the 11th century as well as popular traditions say that Saint Deodatus himself dreamed of a new monastery to be built upon a little hill called la monticule des Jointures, visible on the other side of the river. A little monastic community dedicated to Saint Maurice was probably founded during Carolingian times, as there is evidence of its presence there since the 10th century. After 1006, the monastery took the name Saint-Dié. The little monastery was partially destroyed by fire in 1065 and again in 1155. The date on which the site became a chapter of canons is uncertain. Historians deny that Brunon de Dabo-Egisheim, future Pope Leo IX, was a young monk and great provost here, but his family…

Geography

Saint-Dié is located in the Vosges Mountains southeast of Nancy and southwest of Strasbourg. This route in the valley of the river Meurthe was always the more frequented, and first to get a rail line in 1864, so now it accommodates the primary road. Saint-Dié-des-Vosges, principal town of an arrondissement of the same name, belongs to the Vosges département of France. This commune with a little town in her center, is approximately northeast of Épinal, and connected by two roads, south through the passes of Haut-Jacques and Bruyères or north by the pass of Haut-du-Bois and the ancient land of Rambervillers. By rail, Épinal is from Saint-Dié. The Saint-Dié-des-Vosges station offers rail connections to Épinal, Strasbourg, Nancy and Paris. The river Meurthe flows in the Permian basin of Saint-Dié surrounded by wooded mountains Ormont, Kemberg and La Madeleine. The peaks of these mountains are high, and are composed of Triassic formations, especially the so-called "Vosges sandstone", a kind of red sandstone.

Most-observed species

• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  678
• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  651
• Common Chaffinch

  Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  628
• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  605
• European Robin

  Erithacus rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  490
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  427
• Eurasian Jay

  Garrulus glandarius (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  335
• Marsh Tit

  Poecile palustris (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  310

Most recent

• M 3.5 — 2024-06-27
  1 km SSW of Todtmoos, Germany
• M 3.9 — 2022-09-10
  1 km WSW of Zimmersheim, France
• M 4.1 — 2021-06-26
  2 km SE of Hœrdt, France
• M 3.1 — 2018-05-04
  2 km W of Schliengen, Germany
• M 3.6 — 2009-05-05
  2 km NNW of Steinen, Germany
• M 2.7 — 2008-12-25
  1 km NNW of Blodelsheim, France