Saint-Marcel-lès-Annonay

Saint-Marcel-lès-Annonay is a commune in the Ardèche département in southern France.

Saint-Marcel-lès-Annonay

Saint-Marcel-lès-Annonay église et village 2.jpg
Administration
Country France
Region Rhône-Alpes
Department Ardèche
Arrondissement Tournon-sur-Rhône
Canton Annonay-Nord
Intercommunality Bassin d'Annonay
Mayor Alain Archier
(2008–2014)
Statistics
Elevation 411–860 m (1,348–2,822 ft)
Land area1 16.61 km2 (6.41 sq mi)
Population2 1,223  (2004)
 - Density 74/km2 (190/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code 07265/ 07100
Website http://www.cc-bassin-annonay.fr/saint-marcel
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

The area was settled in 972. The Deûme passes through Saint-Marcel and flows into the Cance with Annonay. Water from these rivers comes from the granitic areas and is very pure. Their patent rights have been recognized for several centuries with the rise of paper mills. The paper mills of Annonay by Montgolfier-Canson formed only two groups in the 18th century from Vidalon and Faya.

In 1805, Jean-Baptiste de Montgolfier was detached from Vidalon to create a factory in Saint-Marcel. Paper production was a large contributor to the rise of the commune and was the main industry for a long period of time. The employees of paper mills were called les usines, French for factory, and formed the integral part of their culture and life.

The small commune formed only industrial and is residential today, the picturesque buildings mixed with modern buildings.