Viviers (, also Viviers-sur-Rhône; ) is a village in the department of
Ardèche
Ardèche (; , ; ) is a Departments of France, department in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Southeastern France. It is named after the river Ardèche (river), Ardèche and had a population of 328,278 as of 2019.France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
. It is known for its medieval cathedral and views over the Rhone river.
Population
History
The village's name is derived from the Latin '' Vivarium'', referring to fish farming ponds built on the banks of the Rhône by the Romans to supply '' Alba Helviorum''. A Roman-built bridge designed to facilitate trade in the area still stands near the village's center.
Viviers became the capital of the Gaulish Helvii tribe following the decline of nearby Alba-la-Romaine. In the fifth century, Viviers was incorporated into the Kingdom of the Burgundians and was later conquered by the
Franks
file:Frankish arms.JPG, Aristocratic Frankish burial items from the Merovingian dynasty
The Franks ( or ; ; ) were originally a group of Germanic peoples who lived near the Rhine river, Rhine-river military border of Germania Inferior, which wa ...
.
In the late fifth century, the fortified town became a powerful episcopal seat and the capital of the ''pays
Vivarais
Vivarais (; ; {{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 Ardèche, named after its capital Vivier ...
''. It remains the see of the Bishop of Viviers. 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>
In the 9th century, Viviers and Vivarais passed to the Lower Burgundy, Kingdom of Provence and eventually became an integral part of the Kingdom of Arles from 933 to 1032. The city was part of the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...
from 1032 until 1307. After a gradual process lasting from 1305-1308, the area passed to the Kingdom of France and was made a county. From the 15th century onward, its Bishops held the titles ''Count of Viviers'' and ''Prince of Donzère and Châteauneuf-du-Rhône''.
After its incorporation into the Kingdom of France, Viviers reinforced its walls, sparing it from destruction during the
Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a conflict between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France and a civil war in France during the Late Middle Ages. It emerged from feudal disputes over the Duchy ...
. In the early 16th century, Claude of Tournon was made Bishop. As chaplain to
Anne of Brittany
Anne of Brittany (; 25/26 January 1477 – 9 January 1514) was reigning Duchess of Brittany from 1488 until her death, and Queen of France from 1491 to 1498 and from 1499 to her death. She was the only woman to have been queen consort of Fran ...
, he invested greatly into the town. Later in the same century, Noel Albert, an eminent citizen of Viviers, seized the town for Protestantism, bringing it into the
French Wars of Religion
The French Wars of Religion were a series of civil wars between French Catholic Church, Catholics and Protestantism, Protestants (called Huguenots) from 1562 to 1598. Between two and four million people died from violence, famine or disease di ...
and ransacking the Cathedral. After Albert's execution and the end of the conflict, Viviers' profile was significantly reduced. The bishops, who had fled the city during the war, only returned to Viviers in the 18th century, after the construction of a large new Bishop's Palace.
Viviers emerged from the French Revolution unscathed as its Bishop, Charles de La Font de Savine, had been one of the few Catholic bishops to pledge allegiance to the revolutionary government. In 1858, Joseph-Hippolyte Guibert gifted three Gobelins tapestries to the Cathedral, where they remain. The 19th century saw industrial expansion in Viviers and slight population growth. Today, the town is a center of tourism, owing to its many listed monuments, including the medieval Cathedral of St. Vincent and the Grande Rue, a street lined with 18th-century townhouses.