Suze, Drôme

Commune in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France

(2021–2026) Bérangère Driay^[1]Area14.43 km² (5.57 sq mi)Population242 • Density17/km² (43/sq mi)Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)INSEE/Postal codeElevation239–730 m (784–2,395 ft)¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Suze (French pronunciation: [syz]; Occitan: Susa) is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France in the foothills of the Alps, its buildings are in a steeply-sloped village above a small tributary feeding into the Drôme which runs from the east into the Rhône.

Population

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1968	223	—
1975	177	−3.25%
1982	187	+0.79%
1990	164	−1.63%
1999	226	+3.63%
2009	242	+0.69%
2014	230	−1.01%
2020	236	+0.43%
Source: INSEE[3]

Landmarks

The village has a cross to Saint Pancras and has a medieval Roman Catholic church.

Geographic context

Suze is centred 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) northeast of Crest, the main population and the administrative centre of the canton. Gigors-et-Lozeron, Beaufort-sur-Gervanne, Cobonne, Aouste-sur-Sye, Mirabel-et-Blacons and Montclar-sur-Gervanne border Suze.

Etymology/topology

The name is a corruption of segusia,^{[what language is this?]} 'forceful', given to various elevated strongholds, made up of the components sego meaning 'force or vigour', and a suffix -us(e/a/ia). The same etymology describes Suze-la-Rousse to the south in Drôme and in Piedmont, Italy: Susa, which has a French name, Suse.

Personalities

• Peter II, Count of Savoy was born in Suze in 1203.

See also

• Communes of the Drôme department

References