Flag, anthem, president, Saugeais is a republic within the Republic.
Saugeais is a micronation perched in the Jura and which celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2022. Located in the Haut-Doubs, it brings together 11 villages, covers 128 square kilometers and has 6,500 inhabitants. The history of this republic dates back to the 12th century when the Augustinian abbey of Montbenoît was built. While the monks had a cloister, villages were built around the abbey to house peasants and craftsmen.
It was in 1947 that the status of republic appeared following a joke. Louis Ottaviani, then prefect of Doubs, had lunch at the Auberge de l’abbaye. The owner of the establishment, Georges Pourchet, humorously asked the prefect if he had his pass to travel freely in the republic of Saugeais. “You have a republic, you need a president, I appoint you president!”, the prefect replied. Georges Pourchet then became the first president of the free republic of Saugeais.
In 1972, four years after his death, his widow finally succeeded him, elected by applause. She then enacted a real “laissez-passez” without which it is impossible for visitors to enter the territory and set up a government and appointed ambassadors. In 1982, Saugeais even acquired a customs office. His daughter took over in 2006. In 2022, she decided to step down due to health concerns and put an end to the hereditary republic. It was her Prime Minister, Simon Marguet, who then took over as president after consultation.
The small republic of Doubs has its distinctive signs. It has its flag with three stripes, black, red and gold since 1981, its coat of arms composed of a bishop’s crosier, a knight’s helmet, a fir tree and a river, as well as its postage stamp issued in 1987. There is also its own anthem, composed to music by the Breton bard Thédore Botrel. The free republic also has its own language: “le parler sauget”. It is a local Franco-Provençal dialect, therefore close to French but with a certain number of particularities. Since 2015, Saugeais license plates have also been available.
This republic obviously belongs to and remains under the authority of the French Republic. It is more symbolic and represents a means for the inhabitants of the region to preserve their heritage and culture. It is not recognized as an official state.