Saint-Aunès, between wine plain and activity area
Saint-Aunès has 4,530 inhabitants on 12.5 square kilometres, bordering Crès, Vendargues, Baillargues, Mauguio and Montpellier. The historic village was built in height, on the first reliefs announcing the garrigues of the north-east of the department, while the recent subdivisions spread on the slopes. The commune was built from part of the territory of Mauguio on 22 March 1873.
From the accommodation, 22 minutes east
The journey to Saint-Aunès is 20.8 kilometres and about 22 minutes by car. It is a natural stop on the road leading to Vendargues, Baillargues, Mauguio or further to the Camargue and the coast, rather than a holiday destination alone. The commune is crossed by the Montpellier-Nîmes railway and the A9 motorway, which separates the old village from the agricultural south from its territory.
The two cypresses of Pioch-Palat, an unusual local landmark
On the Pioch-Palat hill, two twin cypresses planted in the 18th century in the middle of a vineyard dominate the landscape, visible from the A9 motorway as from Vendargues. From the top, the view extends from the Saint-Loup peak to the Golden Pond. These trees went through the coldest winters and German occupation, before being filmed in "Without roof or law", the 1985 film by Agnes Varda. The village also preserves the church of Sainte-Agnès, founded in the Middle Ages and renovated in the 18th and 19th centuries, an old 18th century well and a Roman Milemark dated the 1st century.
One of the largest solar power plants in France
On 12 June 2008, one of the largest photovoltaic solar power plants in metropolitan France was inaugurated on the parking lot of a hypermarket in the municipality : 8,000 m2 of shades covering 814 parking spaces, for a power of 1.15 MWc and a production of 1.4 GWh per year, the second in the region after that of Lunel. This is a concrete example of the development of a commercial area, to be seen by passing rather than by dedicated detour.
For whom this step makes sense
Saint-Aunès serves above all as a crossing point : to shop in its area of activities before returning to the accommodation, to take the train from its station, or for a quick curiosity towards the cypresses of Pioch-Palat by going to Vendargues or Baillargues. It is not a stage alone for a whole day, but a practical support point on the East Herault road.
A commercial and agricultural municipality
Saint-Aunès had 690 establishments as at 31 December 2019, of which 180, or 26.1% of the total, in trade, transport and catering, a proportion close to the departmental average of 28%. The number of farms fell from 48 in 1988 to 30 in 2020, while the agricultural area used increased from 560 to 745 hectares over the same period. The commune is also the resting place of the cartoonist Albert Dubout, born in 1905 and died in 1976, and of the painter Suzanne Ballivet, born in 1904 and died in 1985, both buried in the cemetery Saint-Fulcrand.
Studio or duplex for a stage near Saint-Aunès
For a short stop before returning to the east, the studio offers a simple base, with double bed and kitchen equipped to prepare the races brought back from the commercial area. Family, the duplex adds two bedrooms and a washing machine for a stay of several days between Saint-Jean-de-Védas and the east of the city.
To continue east, the pages dedicated to Vendargues and Baillargues details the neighbouring communes of Saint-Aunès.
