Municipalities of the Pays Viennois

 

Located in the Lower Dauphiné, the municipality of Saint-Sorlin de Vienne covers a surface area of 994 hectares. It is one of the 9 municipalities of the Vienne-Sud canton, and derives its name from Saint Saturnin, the first bishop of Toulouse.

A municipality of the Balmes Viennoises between the Gère valley to the north and the Varèze to the south, Saint Sorlin de Vienne is in the sphere of attraction of Vienne, located 8 km to the south-east. It is served to the north by departmental road 538, and to the south by departmental road 167.

We can pick out 4 landscape units:

At the southern part of the south-western tip, at the intersection of three valleys, a flat, almost completely wooded summit, 'Les Revolets'. 
At the northern part of this tip, the top of the Suzon (stream of the woods) valley is partially wooded. To the south and south-west, a hillside with a width of about 750 metres and an average slope of 15%, semi-wooded, especially to the east and at the upper part, scored by combes (la Bauche).
To the north and the east, a landscape glacis with a gentle, regular slope, interrupted by wooded glens, streams, and ravines. The Malatra stream marks the border of the municipality.

Afforestations are beneficial for several reasons. They provide a refuge and a habitat for a diversity of fauna. The trees planted in sloping areas and near the banks of streams play an important role in limiting erosion, preserving lands, and ensuring water quality. They enrich and highlight the landscape.

The heart of the village extends for more than 300 metres along departmental road 167. There we find the town hall, primary schools, village hall, village square, and the church.  Saint Sorlin de Vienne is a rural community whose population more than doubled between 1967 and 2004. It grew from 312 inhabitants in 1967 to approximately 750 today. 

With an exploited surface area of 450 hectares, our municipality devotes half of its land to agriculture. This is divided between cereal crops, cattle, sheep, and poultry. These 450 hectares are farmed by about a dozen farmers, nearly half of whom are under 40 years old.