Saint-Véran ( [ˈsã vˈʀã]) is a commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in southeastern France in the Queyras Regional Natural Park. It is a member of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France (The Most Beautiful Villages of France) Association.

Geography

Saint-Véran, located in the French Alps, is the most elevated commune in France and in Western Europe. It is the third highest village in Europe, after Trepalle in Italy and Juf in Switzerland. The permanent population is around 300 but swells with tourists in both summer and winter. In addition to tourism the main activities are agriculture and woodcraft.

Climate

Saint-Véran has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb). The average annual temperature in Saint-Véran is 5.3 C. The average annual rainfall is 709.6 mm with June as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in July, at around 13.9 C, and lowest in January, at around -1.8 C. The highest temperature ever recorded in Saint-Véran was 30.7 C on 23 August 1961; the coldest temperature ever recorded was -26.0 C on 10 February 1986.

Name

The village is named after Saint Véran, 6th century Bishop of Cavaillon who in legend drove away a dragon. The Observatoire de Saint-Véran was constructed nearby by the Observatoire de Paris in the early 1970s.

Population