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Home > Travel France > France Destinations > Valence
Valence
France, officially the French Republic, is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in Western Europe and comprises various overseas islands and territories which are located in other regions. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean. At 674,843 square kilometres, France is the world's 40th-largest country after Myanmar. France is a member of The European Union and Paris is the capital of this nation. The sole official language of France is French. Since prehistoric times, France has been a crossroads of trade, migrations, and invasions.
Valence is a commune in south-eastern France and is the capital of the department of Drome. It is situated on the left bank of the Rhone, 65 miles south of Lyon on the railway to Marseille. Its inhabitants are called Valentinois. The total area is of 36.69 square kilometers and population in 1999 estimated was 64,260 with density 1,751 per square kilometers.
In the 16th century Valence became the center of Protestantism for the province in 1563. The town was fortified by King Francois I. It became the seat of a celebrated university in the middle of the 15th century but the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685 struck a fatal blow at its industry, commerce and population.
The city Valence highlight included, the cathedral of Saint Apollinaris, which has an interesting apse, was rebuilt in the 11th century in the Romanesque style of Auvergne and consecrated in 1095 by pope Urban II. The most notable of the monuments erected it this city to its natives include those to Emile Augier the dramatist by the duchess of Uzes in 1897, and to General Championnet.
Valence is one of France’s most popular destinations, and is well known for the quantity of cultural related attractions and monuments that the city has embraced.
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