Saint Ursanne is a city

City

A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...

 and a former municipality

Municipalities of Switzerland

Communes , also known as municipalities, are the smallest government division in Switzerland, numbering 2,596 . While many have a population of a few hundred citizens, the largest cities such as Zürich or Geneva also have the legal status of municipalities...

 of the district of Porrentruy

Porrentruy (district)

Porrentruy District is one of the three districts of the canton of Jura, Switzerland. Its capital is the town of Porrentruy. The French-speaking district has a population of .-Municipalities:Porrentruy is divided into a total of 23 municipalities:...

 in the canton of Jura

Canton of Jura

The Republic and Canton of the Jura , also known as the Canton of Jura or Canton Jura, is one of the cantons of Switzerland. It is the newest of the 26 Swiss cantons, located in the northwestern part of Switzerland. The capital is Delémont...

, Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

 which has preserved its medieval character. The city contains many historical curiosities, including collegiate churches, a cloister

Cloister

A cloister is a rectangular open space surrounded by covered walks or open galleries, with open arcades on the inner side, running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth...

, ruins of a castle

Castle

A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...

, and a hermitage

Hermitage (religious retreat)

Although today's meaning is usually a place where a hermit lives in seclusion from the world, hermitage was more commonly used to mean a settlement where a person or a group of people lived religiously, in seclusion.-Western Christian Tradition:...

. The River Doubs makes a loop by Saint-Ursanne before flowing into France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

.
Since 2009 Saint Ursanne is a part of the new municipality Clos du Doubs

Clos du Doubs

Clos du Doubs is a municipality in the district of Porrentruy in the canton of Jura in Switzerland. It was founded at January 1, 2009 by the former municipalities of Epauvillers, Epiquerez, Montenol, Montmelon, Ocourt, Saint-Ursanne and Seleute. Soubey voted not to join the merger.Clos du Doubs is...

.
Additionally, the city is famous for the medieval festival which it organizes each summer.

Its name refers to Saint Ursicinus

Ursicinus of Saint-Ursanne

Saint Ursicinus was an Irish missionary andhermit in the Jura region.A vita of his is preserved in a redaction of the 11th century. According to this account, he was a disciple of Saint Columbanus at Luxeuil who followed his master when he was banished from Burgundy in 610, but then retired as a...

, a seventh century monk who built a monastery here.

External links

• Saint-Ursanne et son histoire
• Events and Culture program in St-Ursanne
• http://www.rosinski2011.com"Saint-Ursanne La Fantastique !" a fantasy fair for Summer 2011, with the collaboration of the illustrator Grzegorz Rosinski
  Grzegorz Rosinski
  Grzegorz Rosiński is a Polish comic book artist. He is best known for the series Thorgal.-Early life:Grzegorz Rosiński was born in Stalowa Wola in 1941...
  
  ]