The name means "Holy Faith, the silver-producer"; Sainte-Foy is equivalent to the common Spanish place-name Santa Fé, and the reference is to the silver mines around which the village grew.

The village is clustered around a kilometre-long main street ("la grande rue"), rising from the busy crossroads at the bottom to the high school (collège).

In the main square, linked to the church, there is a central castle belonging to Family de Fenoyl, a riverside football club and stadium sometimes visited by Olympique Lyonnais in the pre-season, and a sports and entertainment centre (salle polyvalente).

A popular antiques fair, which draws in crowds of thousands, is held every September, and there are other annual cultural activities.

The writer Bernard Clavel once lived near the village; it is also mentioned in a San-Antonio novel (author Frédéric Dard), and its tiny train station has been featured in various films.