High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Saint-Étienne is a city in eastern central France.It lies 60 km (40 miles) southwest of Lyon in the Rhône-Alpes region and is the capital of the Loire département. It is situated in the Massif Central.The city was named after Saint Stephen. From the sixteenth century, Saint-Étienne developed an arms manufacturing industry. It was this which accounted for the town's importance, although it also became a centre for the manufacture of ribbons and passementerie starting in the 17th century. During the French revolution, Saint-Étienne was briefly renamed Armeville - 'arms town' - because of this activity.