Saint-Mihiel

Saint-Mihiel (French pronunciation: [sɛ̃ mijɛl]) is a commune in the Meuse department in the Grand Est region in Northeastern France.^[3]

Saint-Mihiel
Commune
Entombment of Christ, sculpture by Ligier Richier (16th century), in the Church of St Étienne, in Saint-Mihiel
Coat of arms
Location of Saint-Mihiel
Saint-Mihiel Show map of France Saint-Mihiel Show map of Grand Est
Coordinates: 48°53′21″N 5°32′37″E
Country	France
Region	Grand Est
Department	Meuse
Arrondissement	Commercy
Canton	Saint-Mihiel
Intercommunality	Sammiellois
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Xavier Cochet[1]
Area 1	33 km2 (13 sq mi)
Population  (2022)[2]	3,848
• Density	120/km2 (300/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	55463 /55300
Elevation	228 m (748 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Geography

Saint-Mihiel lies on the banks of the river Meuse.

History

A Benedictine abbey was established here in 708 or 709 by Count Wulfoalde and his wife Adalsinde. The library, containing over 9,000 works, is still on the original site.

During World War I, Saint-Mihiel was captured by the Germans in 1914, and was recaptured during the Battle of Saint-Mihiel by the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) from 12 September to 19 September 1918.

Demographics

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1968	5,295	—
1975	5,572	+0.73%
1982	5,525	−0.12%
1990	5,367	−0.36%
1999	5,260	−0.22%
2007	4,816	−1.10%
2012	4,339	−2.06%
2017	4,112	−1.07%
Source: INSEE[4]

Features

Saint-Mihiel is known for its sculptures by Renaissance sculptor Ligier Richier (1500–1567).

Saint-Mihiel serves both as the starting and ending point of the 2014 video game Valiant Hearts: The Great War.

See also

• Communes of the Meuse department
• Léopold Durand
• Sculptures by Ligier Richier
• List of World War I memorials and cemeteries in the area of the St Mihiel salient