Lavaudieu

Lavaudieu (French pronunciation: [lavodjø]) is a commune in the Haute-Loire department in south-central France. It is a member of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France (The Most Beautiful Villages of France) Association.

Lavaudieu
Commune
Bridge on the Senouire River and St. André abbey.
Coat of arms
Location of Lavaudieu
Lavaudieu Show map of France Lavaudieu Show map of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Coordinates: 45°15′49″N 3°27′17″E
Country	France
Region	Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Department	Haute-Loire
Arrondissement	Brioude
Canton	Brioude
Government
• Mayor (2023–2026)	Pascal Piroux[1]
Area 1	17.54 km2 (6.77 sq mi)
Population  (2022)[2]	245
• Density	14.0/km2 (36.2/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	43117 /43100
Elevation	438–727 m (1,437–2,385 ft) (avg. 550 m or 1,800 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Geography

The village lies on the right bank of the Senouire, which flows west through the commune.

Population

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1968	242	—
1975	229	−0.79%
1982	237	+0.49%
1990	238	+0.05%
1999	225	−0.62%
2009	224	−0.04%
2014	234	+0.88%
2020	250	+1.11%
Source: INSEE[3]

Sights

• Romanesque Lavaudieu Abbey, long known as Lavaudieu Priory (Abbaye Saint-André de Lavaudieu), was established by Robert de Turlande, the first abbot of the nearby Abbey of La Chaise-Dieu, in the 11th century.^[4] It was founded as a Benedictine community of nuns but later became a house of secular canonesses (i.e., pious women living in community but not taking religious vows) from the Auvergnat nobility. It was raised to the status of abbey in 1719.

See also

• Communes of the Haute-Loire department