Sainte-Orse

Sainte-Orse
Commune
Post office and town hall
Location of Sainte-Orse
Sainte-Orse Show map of France Sainte-Orse Show map of Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Coordinates: 45°12′16″N 1°04′35″E
Country	France
Region	Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Department	Dordogne
Arrondissement	Sarlat-la-Canéda
Canton	Haut-Périgord Noir
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Patrick Delaugeas[1]
Area ^1	23.54 km^2 (9.09 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[2]	352
• Density	15/km^2 (39/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	24473 /24210
Elevation	163–292 m (535–958 ft) (avg. 231 m or 758 ft)
^1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km^2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Sainte-Orse (French pronunciation: [sɛ̃.t‿ɔʁs]; Occitan: Senta Orsa) is a commune in the Dordogne department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. The church of Saint Ursus (Saint Ours) dates from the 11th-12th century. The castle dates from the 15th-16th century.

Population

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1962	445	—
1968	486	+9.2%
1975	460	−5.3%
1982	404	−12.2%
1990	372	−7.9%
1999	358	−3.8%
2008	375	+4.7%

Village history

The first written reference of the town is the village church, "Sancta Ursa" recorded in the year 1072.^[3] The "Cassini map" of France between 1756 and 1789, shows the village under the name of "'Saint Orse"', and during the revolutionary period of the National Convention (1792-1795), the name was "Orse-le-Pierreux".^[4]

Landmarks

A number of historic buildings are located in the town:

• Church of Saint-Ours, 11th or 12th century Romanesque Church with a 19th-century bell tower. It is listed as a historical monument since 1970.^[5]
• Several Merovingian sarcophagi.^[6]
• The Church also preserves a relic of Pope John Paul II (a piece of the belt of the former Pontiff).
• Château de Sainte-Orse, 15th and 16th centuries.^[7]
• La Salle gentilhommiere, 18th century, today a school.
• 18th century Manor of La Faye.
• Château de Laudonie Den of Peyre-brune.

See also

• Communes of the Dordogne department

References

1. "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 9 August 2021.
2. "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
3. Chantal Tanet and Tristan Hordé, "Dictionary of the place names of the Périgord", (Fanlac, 2000), p.381.
4. Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Sainte-Orse, EHESS (in French).
5. Base Mérimée: PA00082882, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
6. Base Palissy: PM24000353, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
7. Guy Penaud, Dictionnaire des châteaux du Périgord (Sud Ouest, 1996) p. 255.