Vals-près-le-Puy

Vals-près-le-Puy (French pronunciation: [vals pʁɛ lə pɥi], lit. 'Vals near Le Puy'; Occitan: Val delh Puèi), is a commune in the Haute-Loire department in south-central France.

Vals-près-le-Puy
Commune
Coat of arms
Location of Vals-près-le-Puy
Vals-près-le-Puy Show map of France Vals-près-le-Puy Show map of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Coordinates: 45°01′45″N 3°52′32″E
Country	France
Region	Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Department	Haute-Loire
Arrondissement	Le Puy-en-Velay
Canton	Le Puy-en-Velay-1
Intercommunality	CA du Puy-en-Velay
Government
• Mayor (2024–2026)	Philippe Joujon[1]
Area 1	5.12 km2 (1.98 sq mi)
Population  (2022)[2]	3,392
• Density	660/km2 (1,700/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	43251 /43750
Elevation	632–850 m (2,073–2,789 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Its inhabitants are called Valladiers (masc.) and Valladières (fem.).

Geography

The town is located in the valley of the river Dolaizon. It forms the South-West border of Le Puy-en-Velay and its highest point is Mount Ronzon (850 m).

Population

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1968	2,449	—
1975	3,070	+3.28%
1982	3,505	+1.91%
1990	3,426	−0.28%
1999	3,391	−0.11%
2007	3,534	+0.52%
2012	3,420	−0.65%
2017	3,396	−0.14%
2021	3,402	+0.04%
Source: INSEE[3]

Sights

• Augustinian Monastery early 17th century. Historic Monument.
• Church of Saint Vosy, chapel of the monastery. 17th century. Historic Monument.
• Chibottes or tsabones, circular stone huts built in the 19th century as shelters by winegrowers.^[4][5][6]

Personalities

• Auguste Aymard, 1808–1889, mayor Vals-près-le-Puy, polymath (curator of the Crozatier museum, archivist, palaeontologist, archaeologist).
• Joseph Rumillet Charretier, 1833–1916, grew verbena (Fr: verveine) at his property in Vals and founded the distillery Verveine du Velay in 1858.

International relations

The commune is twinned with Aielo de Malferit (Spain).

See also

• Communes of the Haute-Loire department