Construction of the cross 4e quart XVIe siècle (≈ 1687)
Estimated period of construction of the monument.
29 décembre 1949
Registration for Historic Monuments
Registration for Historic Monuments 29 décembre 1949 (≈ 1949)
Official protection by ministerial decree.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
16th century cross: inscription by decree of 29 December 1949
Key figures
Information non disponible - No character identified
Sources insufficient to assign a sponsor.
Origin and history
The cross at Saint-Georges-en-Couzan is an emblematic monument of local religious heritage, erected during the 4th quarter of the 16th century. This type of building, typical of the French late Renaissance countryside, often served as a spiritual and social landmark for rural communities. Its listing in the inventory of Historic Monuments by decree of 29 December 1949 underlines its heritage importance, although the available archives do not specify its sponsor or its exact use at the time.
Saint-Georges-en-Couzan, located in the present Loire department (region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes), was at the end of the 16th century a town marked by a mainly agricultural and artisanal economy. The cross of path or place, like this one, played a central role in everyday life: they rhythmized processions, marked parish boundaries or commemorated local events. Their presence also reflected the influence of the Catholic Church in the spatial and symbolic organization of villages, in a post-Renaissance context where religious tensions (wars of Religion) could still influence cultural practices.
