Saint-Laurent-de-Mure () is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in the

Rhône The Rhône ( , ; wae, Rotten ; frp, Rôno ; oc, Ròse ) is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and southeastern France before discharging into the Mediterranean Sea. At Ar ...

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

in eastern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. Saint-Laurent-de-Mure forms part of the

communauté de communes A ''communauté de communes'' (, "community of communes") is a federation of municipalities (communes) in France. It forms a framework within which local tasks are carried out together. It is the least-integrated form of ''intercommunalité'' (int ...

(grouping of villages) in the eastern

Lyons Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of th ...

area which support one another to provide improved services for inhabitants.Intercommunalité-Métropole de CC de l'Est Lyonnais (CCEL) (246900575)
INSEE

Location

This small village lies to the east of

's third largest city, Lyon. Within an easy commute of the city centre, on the first/last exit before the toll road (

péage The ''autoroute'' (, highway or motorway) system in France consists largely of toll roads (76% of the total). It is a network of of motorways as of 2014. On road signs, autoroute destinations are shown in blue, while destinations reached through ...

), it is also close to the international airport, Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport.

History

The town bears traces of occupation dating as far back as the

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...

, as evidenced by the Recou Woods

cupstone Cupstones, also called anvil stones, pitted cobbles and nutting stones, among other names, are roughly discoidal or amorphous groundstone artifacts among the most common lithic remains of Native American culture, especially in the Midwestern ...

. Ruins of a delphinal castle remain on the Escoffier farm, and its surrounding walls can be seen here and there in the old village. The Château de Saint-Laurent was once owned by the barons of , Barons of the Empire whose descendants are among the best jewelers in France, located on the

Rue de la République The Rue de la République is a street located in the 1st and 2nd arrondissements of Lyon, France. It links the Place de la Comédie in the north to Place Le Viste in the south, just next to Place Bellecour, via the Place de la République. It i ...

in Lyon. The château has the peculiarity of having sewers at children's height, allowing those of the village to regularly enter. There are also ancient tombs in Saint-Laurent-de-Mure, at the place called Bois du Baron.

Population

Renovation

Renovation work on the local manor house has created an example of the modern French approach and attitudes to the use of older properties. The front

façade A façade () (also written facade) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a Loanword, loan word from the French language, French (), which means 'frontage' or 'face'. In architecture, the façade of a building is often t ...

has been renovated rather than restored, and at the rear of the building a glass-walled extension has been added to allow for expansion. The house forms the focal point of the local woods, which are often used by the local junior school for the ''kermesse'' and other activities.

Twin towns — sister cities

Saint-Laurent-de-Mure is twinned with: *

Chambave Chambave ( Valdôtain: or ; Issime wae, Tschambuvu) is a town and ''comune'' in the Aosta Valley region of northwestern Italy. The communal territory is crossed by the Dora Baltea (french: Doire baltée). Wine Growers in Chambave produce se ...

, Italy

References