Sauveterre-de-Guyenne
Commune
The church of Saint-Romain-de-Vignague in Sauveterre-de-Guyenne
Coat of arms
Location of Sauveterre-de-Guyenne
Sauveterre-de-Guyenne Show map of France Sauveterre-de-Guyenne Show map of Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Coordinates: 44°41′37″N 0°05′06″W / 44.6936°N 0.085°W / 44.6936; -0.085
Country	France
Region	Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Department	Gironde
Arrondissement	Langon
Canton	Le Réolais et Les Bastides
Intercommunality	CC rurales de l'Entre-Deux-Mers
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Christophe Miqueu[1]
Area 1	31.75 km2 (12.26 sq mi)
Population  (Jan. 2021)[2]	1,868
• Density	59/km2 (150/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	33506 /33540
Elevation	38–107 m (125–351 ft) (avg. 82 m or 269 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Sauveterre-de-Guyenne (French pronunciation: [sɔvətɛʁ də ɡɥijɛn], literally Sauveterre of Guyenne; Gascon: Sauvatèrra de Guiana) is a commune in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France.

Toponymy

Before 1896, Sauveterre-de-Guyenne was better known as Sauveterre-de Bazadais. This Bastide was built in a small village called "Athala" and was first named Salva-Terra (Salvation of the land), which later became Saubeterre and then Sauveterre.

History

Sauveterre-de-Guyenne was founded as an English Bastide in 1281 by King Edward I of England, in the name of ending rivalries among the lords. He signed the "Charte des Coutumes de la Cité" in 1283, which protected the inhabitants and set the rules of life in the village community.

Structure

Sauveterre-de-Guyenne is a very well maintained Bastide, having the typical Bastide 'grid' layout.^[3] The entry points into the city were through four stone tower gates. The central market square is surrounded by stone houses and the typical arcades on the ground floor, full of shops. The Church of Notre Dame is located at the top of the square.

Population

The strong population increase between 1962 and 1968 is caused by the merger of Sauveterre-de-Guyenne with the former communes Le Puch, Saint-Léger-de-Vignague and Saint-Romain-de-Vignague in May 1965.^[6]

Twin towns - sister cities

Town	State/Region	Country
Olite	Navarre	Spain[7]