Saint-Véran


Saint-Véran is a commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in southeastern France in the Queyras Regional Natural Park.

Geography

Saint-Véran, located in the French Alps, is the most elevated commune in France. It is the third highest village in Europe, after Trepalle in Italy and Juf in Switzerland.
The permanent population is around 300 but swells with tourists in both summer and winter. In addition to tourism the main activities are agriculture and woodcraft.

Name

The village is named after Saint Véran, 6th century Bishop of Cavaillon who in legend drove away a dragon.
The Observatoire de Saint-Véran was constructed nearby by the Observatoire de Paris in the early 1970s.

Population