Viviers (, also Viviers-sur-Rhône; oc, Vivièrs) is a city in the
department of
Ardèche
Ardèche (; oc, Ardecha; frp, Ardecha) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France. It is named after the river Ardèche and had a population of 328,278 as of 2019.[France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...]
. It is the smallest city in France by area and population.
The administrative and religious capital of Vivarais, the town of Viviers, on the right bank of the
Rhône
The Rhône ( , ; wae, Rotten ; frp, Rôno ; oc, Ròse ) is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and southeastern France before discharging into the Mediterranean Sea. At Ar ...
, in southern Ardèche, retains an important heritage from its rich past, including many listed monuments. These include the Town Hall, in the former bishops' palace; the 18th-century Hôtel de Roqueplane, now the seat of the diocese; the Cathedral of St Vincent, Romanesque, flamboyant Gothic and 18th-century in style, with its choir decorated by Gobelins tapestries and its marble high altar; the 16th-century Knights' House (Maison des Chevaliers) with its Renaissance façade, decorated with medallioned busts; and the Grande Rue with the elegant mansions of Beaulieu and Tourville, both dating from the 18th century.
Population
History
Viviers became the capital of the Gaulish
Helvii The Helvii (also Elui, ancient Greek Ἑλουοί) were a relatively small Celtic polity west of the Rhône river on the northern border of Gallia Narbonensis. Their territory was roughly equivalent to the Vivarais, in the modern French departme ...
tribe following the decline of nearby
Alba-la-Romaine
Alba-la-Romaine (; oc, Aps) is a commune in the Ardèche department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of southern France.
The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Albains'' or ''Albaines''
Geography
''Alba-la-Romaine'' is located some 5 ...
.
In late Roman times, it also became a
bishopric
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...
and the capital of the ''pays''
Vivarais
Vivarais (; oc, Vivarés; la, Vivariensis provincia{{cite web , url=http://www.columbia.edu/acis/ets/Graesse/orblatv.html , title = ORBIS LATINUS - Letter V) is a traditional region in the south-east of France, covering the ''département'' of ...
. Today, it is still the see of the bishop of Ardèche.
In the 6th century,
Venant de Viviers served as the Bishop of Viviers.
[Charles Beaunier, ''Recueil Historique, Chronologique, Et Topographique, Des Archevechez, Evêchez, Abbayes Et Prieurez De France, Tant D'Hommes, Que De Filles, De Nomination Et Collation Royale'', Mesnier, 1726, p. 100]
/ref>
See also
* Communes of the Ardèche department
The following is a list of the 335 communes of the Ardèche department of France.
The communes cooperate in the following intercommunalities (as of 2020):[Diocese of Viviers
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Viviers ( la, Dioecesis Vivariensis; french: Diocèse de Viviers ) is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. Erected in the 4th century, the diocese was restored in the Concordat of 1 ...]
* Viviers Cathedral
Viviers Cathedral (french: Cathédrale Saint-Vincent de Viviers) is a Roman Catholic church in the town of Viviers in the department of Ardèche, France. It is the seat of the Bishop of Viviers.
The construction of the tower dates from the 11 ...
References
Communes of Ardèche
Vivarais
Ardèche communes articles needing translation from French Wikipedia
Populated places on the Rhône
Populated riverside places in France
{{Ardèche-geo-stub