Les Mées, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
Commune in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Les Mées (French pronunciation: [le me] or [le mɛs]; Occitan: Lei Mès) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France.
Les Mées | |
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.JPG) The village of Les Mées, seen from the village of Peyruis | |
 Coat of arms | |
 Location of Les Mées | |
  Les Mées Location within France  Les Mées Location within Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur | |
| Coordinates: 44°01′50″N 5°58′38″E | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur |
| Department | Alpes-de-Haute-Provence |
| Arrondissement | Digne-les-Bains |
| Canton | Oraison |
| Intercommunality | CA Provence-Alpes |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2023–2026) | Frédéric Puech[1] |
Area 1 | 65.4 km2 (25.3 sq mi) |
| Population (2023)[2] | 4,099 |
| • Density | 62.7/km2 (162/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 04116 /04190 |
| Elevation | 348–824 m (1,142–2,703 ft) (avg. 410 m or 1,350 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
History
The name Les Mées derives from the Latin metae, meaning 'cones' or 'pyramids', or the Occitan Lei Mèas, meaning 'millstone of wheat', referring to the shape of the rock formations that rise above the village, known as the Penitents of Les Mées. According to legend, the Penitents are monks from the Montagne de Lure who were petrified by Saint Donatus as punishment for falling in love with Moorish women brought back from a crusade. The hooded shapes of the rocks resemble a procession of monks in penance.[3][4][5]
Geography
Population
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| Source: EHESS[6] and INSEE (1968-2023)[7] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
