Located in the south of the Jura department, at an average altitude of 1,427 feet (435 m), the town of Saint-Claude is built at the confluence of the Bienne (photo) and Tacon at the bottom of a deep valley. It is dominated by more than 1,640 feet (500 m) by various summits of the Haut-Jura including Mont Bayard, Pain de Sucre, Crêt Pourri or Mont Chabot. It is because of its privileged environment, both mountainous and on a site of confluence, that a hermit chose, around the year 450, to settle on the territory of this city which has become the capital of Haut-Jura.