Tournon-sur-Rhône (; , before 1988: Tournon)Décret du 10 mars 1988 portant changement de nom de communes, Journal officiel de la République française n° 0065, 17 March 1988, p. 3550. is a commune in the Ardèche department of southern France. It is one of the most populous communes in the Ardèche department, after Annonay, Aubenas, and Guilherand-Granges.
Geography It is located on the right bank of the river Rhône, in the Ardèche , opposite Tain-l'Hermitage, (which is located in the Drôme ).
History Tournon had its own counts as early as the 9th century reign of Louis I. In the middle of the 17th century the title passed from them to the dukes of Ventadour.
Population
Notable sights The church of St Julian dates chiefly from the 14th century. The occupies an old college founded in the 16th century by Cardinal François de Tournon, and is today still a functioning high school but is occasionally open for tours. One of the two suspension bridges which unite the town with Tain-l'Hermitage on the left bank of the river is the . It was built in 1825 and is the oldest suspension bridge in France, today carrying only pedestrians. The Château de Tournon has a museum and commanding views over the Rhône.
Notable people François de Tournon (1489-1562), cardinal, Archbishop of Aude, then of Lyon, advisor to King Francis I Jean-Antoine Courbis (1752–1795), lawyer and revolutionary Gabriel Faure (1877-1962), French writer and italophile Sébastien Joly (born 1979), racing cyclist, coach and sports director Greta Richioud (born 1996), racing cyclist
See also
Communes of the Ardèche department Antoine Sartorio
References
Further reading