Viviers in Ardèche

Viviers sits on a large rock elevation overlooking the Rhone Valley, an imposing cathedral crowns the city gathered on its promontory. Viviers is the capital of Vivarais, an ancient region whose boundaries correspond almost to the department of Ardèche.

Established as a bishopric in the 5th century, at the end of the Roman Empire, Viviers was chosen in place of Alba the former regional capital, capital of the Gallic tribe of Helviens. Its name comes from the Latin Vivarium, it evokes the rich fishing waters of the Rhone below.

Viviers and Vivarais were under the domination of the Burgundians, and the Franks, it was then part of the kingdom of Lothair after Charlemagne and the Kingdom of Burgundy, and the Holy Roman Empire, the city finally joined the Kingdom of France in the early 14th century.

The bishop remained the lord of the city and its region until the Revolution, the spiritual and temporal episcopal power left in the city an exceptional architectural heritage.

Viviers is a living museum of architecture. The Upper Town, protected by walls and a castle, was the domain of men of the Church, they built the St. Vincent Cathedral. Its exterior is austere and its nave is Romanesque, while the choir is in magnificent Flamboyant Gothic style. Below developed the medieval town that still retains its original appearance: dark, narrow, winding streets crossed by arches, high two-storey houses, they keep visible traces of medieval merchants and artisans' shops, and mansions of local notables.

The Saint-Michel gate tower guards the entrance to the old city from the top of its 40 meters, its polygonal top floor with battlements was added during the Hundred Years War to fortify the city.

Viviers has a marina on the Rhone located at the foot of the city. River cruise ships stop here frequently. 2 km from the city, a well-preserved Roman bridge spans the river Escoutay.

Accommodation

Selection of bed and breakfast in Ardeche on the portal of the Guest house in Provence

Coming to Viviers

GPS coordinates N 44°28’49’’ - E 4°41’27’’

Location : altitude 85 metres, 3800 inhabitants, 6 miles from Montélimar, 8 miles from la Garde Adhémar, 9 miles from Alba-la-Romaine, 16 miles from Grignan, 19 miles from Pont-Saint-Esprit, 24 miles from Vallon Pont d'Arc (Gorges de l'Ardèche), 30 miles from Orange, 31 miles from Barjac.