Date engraved on the cross 1670 (ou 1620) (≈ 1620)
Controversial interpretation of the exact date.
3e quart du XVIIe siècle
Assigned construction period
Assigned construction period 3e quart du XVIIe siècle (≈ 1762)
Date according to official sources.
1925
Restoration of the monument
Restoration of the monument 1925 (≈ 1925)
Conservation work on the cross.
11 juin 1930
Registration for historical monuments
Registration for historical monuments 11 juin 1930 (≈ 1930)
Official protection by ministerial decree.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Cross dated 1670: registration by order of 11 June 1930
Key figures
Jean Chaize - Author and local historian
Studyed the Velay crosses.
Origin and history
La Croix de la Ravanelle, also known as the Cross de la Rabanelle, is a monumental cross located in Saint-Haon, Haute-Loire department, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. It is 300 metres from the village church, bordering the departmental road 40, on the axis between Le Puy-en-Velay and Landos. This monument, emblematic of the local heritage, is dated from the seventeenth century, although the interpretation of its engraved date (1620 or 1670) causes debate between the sources.
The cross was restored in 1925, then listed as historical monuments by order of 11 June 1930. Its architecture is distinguished by a base of 8 steps supporting a stone pedestal, topped by an octagonal barrel and a crusillon at the ends adorned with florets. The sculptures represent an incomplete Christ on one side, a Virgin under one dais on the other, as well as two lateral statuettes identified as Saint John and Marie-Madeleine.
According to the descriptions, the barrel and the cross present a hexagonal section, with iconographic details as a lamp above Christ. The Virgin, dressed in a tunic and veiled, is represented standing on clouds. These stylistic elements reflect the religious artistic traditions of the Haute-Loire in the 17th century, combining symbolism and local craftsmanship.
The precise location of the cross, at the entrance of the village on the road to Landos, as well as its state of conservation (noted as satisfactory despite an imprecise location) make it a point of interest for the study of the French rural heritage. The property of the monument belongs to the commune of Saint-Haon, and its access seems free, although the practical information on visits remains limited.
The available sources, including Wikipedia, Monumentum and the Merimée base, highlight its historical and architectural importance. The cross is cited in specialized works such as Croix du Velay and de la Haute-Loire by Jean Chaize (1981), which helps document its regional context. Its inscription in historical monuments reinforces its heritage value, while asking the question of its exact dating, still subject to interpretation.
