Located west of Saint-Étienne, the site is located within the perimeter of the old town of Montaud, then split with the ephemeral town of Beaubrun (1842-1855) which is finally integrated in Saint-Étienne in 1855.
Around 1810, the activity seemed restricted when compared to Villars', east of Saint-Étienne (beyond the Furan) in Saint-Jean-Bonnefonds and especially the Gier Valley which then produces nearly half of the domestic coal production.