Bourg-Saint-Andéol
Encyclopedia
Bourg-Saint-Andéol is a commune
in the Ardèche
department in the Rhône Valley in southern France
.
at the southeast end of the department 15 km (9.3 mi) south of the smaller see of Viviers, 4 km (2.5 mi) from Pierrelatte
eastwards across the river in the département Drôme
and 10 km (6.2 mi) from Pont-Saint-Esprit, in the north of the département of Gard
. 14 km (8.7 mi) to the south-west starts the nearby Ardèche Gorges in Saint-Martin-d'Ardèche
.
river was called Bergoiata. Bourg-Saint-Andéol has one of the very rare testimonies of post-roman and pre-Christian religions with its sculpted bas relief of God Mithra
. It acquired its present name after Saint Andeolus, the 'apostle of the Vivarais
', a disciple of St. Polycarp, supposedly arriving from Minor Asia, who evangelized the area under Emperor Septimius Severus
, and was martyred in 208. The region was named Helvia in Julius Caesar's De Bello Gallico, with Alba-la-Romaine as capital city, then Vivarais
from the mediaeval times after the see of Viviers
, a region of Languedoc
province during Ancient Regime until départements were created at the French Revolution. Due to the citizen's engagement for the Revolution, the town's name rejected a while the quite whimmy saint and was named Bourg-sur-Rhône. (At the Napoleonic times, Andéol had already been brought in back...)
It had been the seat of a bailli (royal magistrate). And the bishop of Viviers had settled several decades in Renaissance times in the city (the Bishops' Palace). It is the seat of the mother houses of the Congregation of the Presentation of Mary and of the Religious Congregations of the Presentation
.
The city had grown and become one of the most important towns of county Vivarais
due to its position on the Rhône
river (boatmen mariniers du Rhône, trade and business in hide, fabric, wine, oil). Several patricians' houses are still to be seen in the centre of the city (although a part of it was bombed by Allied forces at the end of World War II
, missing the hanging bridge - which was replaced afterwards by the existing one).
with the site of Tricastin
, first atomic energy plant in France, makes that many residents of Bourg-Saint-Andéol earn their livelihood by working over the Rhône
. Another noticeable economical source of the area - already a typical mediterranean zone - is wine, with the Côtes du Rhône méridionales (southern) gathering four other communes around the city (Saint-Marcel-d'Ardèche, Saint-Just and Saint-Martin-d'Ardèche
). An oil mill has been recently re-established for olive harvests in the area.
near the Vauclusian springs of the Tourne. The Bishop's Renaissance palace and several former noble or grand-bourgeois 18th century places are regularly used for local and visitors during summer season.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Ardèche
Ardèche
Ardèche is a department in south-central France named after the Ardèche River.- History :The area has been inhabited by humans at least since the Upper Paleolithic, as attested by the famous cave paintings at Chauvet Pont d'Arc. The plateau of the Ardeche River has extensive standing stones ,...
department in the Rhône Valley in southern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Geography
It lies directly along the Rhône RiverRhône River
The Rhone is one of the major rivers of Europe, rising in Switzerland and running from there through southeastern France. At Arles, near its mouth on the Mediterranean Sea, the river divides into two branches, known as the Great Rhone and the Little Rhone...
at the southeast end of the department 15 km (9.3 mi) south of the smaller see of Viviers, 4 km (2.5 mi) from Pierrelatte
Pierrelatte
Pierrelatte is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France.-Population:-References:*...
eastwards across the river in the département Drôme
Drôme
Drôme , a department in southeastern France, takes its name from the Drôme River.-History:The French National Constituent Assembly set up Drôme as one of the original 83 departments of France on March 4, 1790, during the French Revolution...
and 10 km (6.2 mi) from Pont-Saint-Esprit, in the north of the département of Gard
Gard
Gard is a département located in southern France in the Languedoc-Roussillon region.The department is named after the River Gard, although the formerly Occitan name of the River Gard, Gardon, has been replacing the traditional French name in recent decades, even among French speakers.- History...
. 14 km (8.7 mi) to the south-west starts the nearby Ardèche Gorges in Saint-Martin-d'Ardèche
Saint-Martin-d'Ardèche
Saint-Martin-d'Ardèche is a commune in the department of Ardèche in southern France.Saint-Martin-d'Ardèche is situated at the southern entrance of the Ardèche Canyon, the Gorges de l'Ardèche.-Administration:...
.
History
The Gallic settlement on a rocky peak over the RhôneRhône River
The Rhone is one of the major rivers of Europe, rising in Switzerland and running from there through southeastern France. At Arles, near its mouth on the Mediterranean Sea, the river divides into two branches, known as the Great Rhone and the Little Rhone...
river was called Bergoiata. Bourg-Saint-Andéol has one of the very rare testimonies of post-roman and pre-Christian religions with its sculpted bas relief of God Mithra
Mithra
Mithra is the Zoroastrian divinity of covenant and oath. In addition to being the divinity of contracts, Mithra is also a judicial figure, an all-seeing protector of Truth, and the guardian of cattle, the harvest and of The Waters....
. It acquired its present name after Saint Andeolus, the 'apostle of the Vivarais
Vivarais
Vivarais is a traditional region in the south-east of France, covering the département of Ardèche, named after its capital Viviers on the river Rhône...
', a disciple of St. Polycarp, supposedly arriving from Minor Asia, who evangelized the area under Emperor Septimius Severus
Septimius Severus
Septimius Severus , also known as Severus, was Roman Emperor from 193 to 211. Severus was born in Leptis Magna in the province of Africa. As a young man he advanced through the customary succession of offices under the reigns of Marcus Aurelius and Commodus. Severus seized power after the death of...
, and was martyred in 208. The region was named Helvia in Julius Caesar's De Bello Gallico, with Alba-la-Romaine as capital city, then Vivarais
Vivarais
Vivarais is a traditional region in the south-east of France, covering the département of Ardèche, named after its capital Viviers on the river Rhône...
from the mediaeval times after the see of Viviers
Viviers
Viviers is the name or part of the name of several communes in France:* Viviers, Ardèche, in the Ardèche département, capital of the Vivarais and episcopal see* Viviers, Moselle, in the Moselle département...
, a region of Languedoc
Languedoc
Languedoc is a former province of France, now continued in the modern-day régions of Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrénées in the south of France, and whose capital city was Toulouse, now in Midi-Pyrénées. It had an area of approximately 42,700 km² .-Geographical Extent:The traditional...
province during Ancient Regime until départements were created at the French Revolution. Due to the citizen's engagement for the Revolution, the town's name rejected a while the quite whimmy saint and was named Bourg-sur-Rhône. (At the Napoleonic times, Andéol had already been brought in back...)
It had been the seat of a bailli (royal magistrate). And the bishop of Viviers had settled several decades in Renaissance times in the city (the Bishops' Palace). It is the seat of the mother houses of the Congregation of the Presentation of Mary and of the Religious Congregations of the Presentation
Religious Congregations of the Presentation
Congregation of the Presentation may refer to several Roman Catholic female religious congregations-Daughters of the Presentation:The Daughters of the Presentation were founded in 1627 by Nicolas Sanguin , Bishop of Senlis. He turned his attention to the foundation of a teaching order to combat the...
.
The city had grown and become one of the most important towns of county Vivarais
Vivarais
Vivarais is a traditional region in the south-east of France, covering the département of Ardèche, named after its capital Viviers on the river Rhône...
due to its position on the Rhône
Rhône River
The Rhone is one of the major rivers of Europe, rising in Switzerland and running from there through southeastern France. At Arles, near its mouth on the Mediterranean Sea, the river divides into two branches, known as the Great Rhone and the Little Rhone...
river (boatmen mariniers du Rhône, trade and business in hide, fabric, wine, oil). Several patricians' houses are still to be seen in the centre of the city (although a part of it was bombed by Allied forces at the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, missing the hanging bridge - which was replaced afterwards by the existing one).
Economy
Bourg-Saint-Andéol is the shopping center for surrounding villages. In the mid 80es, several factories closed and economy almost drowned (ceramics). Nowadays, PierrelattePierrelatte
Pierrelatte is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France.-Population:-References:*...
with the site of Tricastin
Tricastin
The Tricastin is an area around Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux in Provence, France. The name derives from the Gaulish tribe Tricastini, which was part of the confederation of the Cavares...
, first atomic energy plant in France, makes that many residents of Bourg-Saint-Andéol earn their livelihood by working over the Rhône
Rhône River
The Rhone is one of the major rivers of Europe, rising in Switzerland and running from there through southeastern France. At Arles, near its mouth on the Mediterranean Sea, the river divides into two branches, known as the Great Rhone and the Little Rhone...
. Another noticeable economical source of the area - already a typical mediterranean zone - is wine, with the Côtes du Rhône méridionales (southern) gathering four other communes around the city (Saint-Marcel-d'Ardèche, Saint-Just and Saint-Martin-d'Ardèche
Saint-Martin-d'Ardèche
Saint-Martin-d'Ardèche is a commune in the department of Ardèche in southern France.Saint-Martin-d'Ardèche is situated at the southern entrance of the Ardèche Canyon, the Gorges de l'Ardèche.-Administration:...
). An oil mill has been recently re-established for olive harvests in the area.
Tourism
The area is popular for tourism and summer homes, and the city is known as the richest patrimonial city in Ardèche: there are many dolmens in the Bois du Laoul forest and a sculpture of MithraMithra
Mithra is the Zoroastrian divinity of covenant and oath. In addition to being the divinity of contracts, Mithra is also a judicial figure, an all-seeing protector of Truth, and the guardian of cattle, the harvest and of The Waters....
near the Vauclusian springs of the Tourne. The Bishop's Renaissance palace and several former noble or grand-bourgeois 18th century places are regularly used for local and visitors during summer season.
Population
Culture
- A national institute of clownery art has been settled in Bourg-Saint-Andéol, the Institut National des Arts du Clown.
Twin cities
- MonschauMonschauMonschau is a small resort town in the Eifel region of western Germany, located in the district Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia.-Geography:The town is located in the hills of the North Eifel, within the Hohes Venn – Eifel Nature Park in the narrow valley of the Rur river.The historic town center...
in GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
(EifelEifelThe Eifel is a low mountain range in western Germany and eastern Belgium. It occupies parts of southwestern North Rhine-Westphalia, northwestern Rhineland-Palatinate and the south of the German-speaking Community of Belgium....
) since 1975 - AlbertirsaAlbertirsaAlbertirsa is a town in Ceglédi kistérség, Pest megye, and the middle of the Great Hungarian Plain. Although it has got its town status in 2003, still has its village-scent that is so common for most of the inhabitations in the region.- History :Initially Albertirsa was two separate inhabitations:...
in HungaryHungaryHungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
since 1998 - GaggianoGaggianoGaggiano is a comune in the Province of Milan in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 13 km southwest of Milan. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 8,360 and an area of 26.7 km²....
in ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
since 2002