Saint-Santin-Cantalès: Church, Lime Tree and Routes

Saint-Santin-Cantalès brings together local religious history, a notable tree and several hiking and cycling routes. This gives you clearly distinct themes to choose from when planning your trip: the Saint-Santin Church, its history and furnishings; the Sully lime tree; Eugène Malvezin’s tomb; and routes for different activities. You can decide what to focus on depending on whether you are primarily interested in local landmarks or a particular type of route.

Church, Priory and Chandeliers

The church dedicated to Saint-Santin is Byzantine in style. It belonged to a wealthy priory whose origins date back to the 12th century. This brings together an architectural style and a long history of the priory at one site. The date refers to the priory’s origins.

The church houses a set titled “neuf chandeliers d'église” (nine church chandeliers). The nine church chandeliers date from the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries. Thus, alongside the history of the priory, the chandeliers stand out as a distinct ensemble of furnishings. To put these in context, it is useful to distinguish between the two reference points: the priory’s origins, which date back to the 12th century, and the later period of the chandeliers.

The Sully Lime Tree and Local History

A large lime tree stands in the square in front of the church and is known as the Sully lime tree. It was planted at the initiative of Sully, minister to Henry IV, at the beginning of the 17th century. Classified as a notable tree of Auvergne, it is a destination in its own right, alongside the church and the chandelier ensemble. Its history links a specific location with its planting at the beginning of the 17th century and Sully’s attributed initiative.

Another landmark is Eugène Malvezin’s tomb in the Mansergues forest. Access is difficult, so bear this limitation in mind if you plan to visit the tomb. Unlike the ensemble in the church and the lime tree in the square, the tomb is located in the forest. Excavations in the vicinity of Saint-Santin Church also confirmed the existence of an underground passage. The tomb and passage therefore offer different historical points of interest: one in the Mansergues forest, the other near the church.

Hiking and Cycling Routes

Two named routes of different kinds are listed for hiking. The “Petit patrimoine bâti” circular route invites you to discover the commune’s rural built heritage. The “Parcours Rose” is a hiking trail in Saint-Santin-Cantalès. The first explicitly focuses on built heritage; the second is identified as a hiking route. This distinction can help you choose the focus of your outing without treating the two routes as the same.

Two cycling routes also pass through Saint-Santin-Cantalès. The “Boucle Gravel n°1 – Entre 2 Lacs” gravel loop is 56.4 kilometres long and passes through the commune. The “Circuit cyclo – Barrage de Saint-Étienne-Cantalès” cycling loop also passes through the area. This gives you two distinct named routes to choose from for a cycling trip; the gravel loop also has a specified distance.

Overall, you can combine exploring local history around the church, lime tree and tomb with a hike or cycle ride. For cultural visits, the different locations and historical periods are key; when choosing a route, the loop explicitly focused on built heritage, the named hiking trail and the two cycling routes each offer a different starting point.

Discover more destinations: Les Ternes, Anglards-De-Saint-Flour, Vezels Roussy, Massiac, Crandelles, Parlan, Valuéjols, Aurillac.

For the broader travel overview: Cantal.