Tournon-sur-Rhône

Tournon-sur-Rhône (French: [tuʁnɔ̃ syʁ ʁon]; Occitan: Tornon, before 1988: Tournon)^[3] 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.

Tournon-sur-Rhône
Subprefecture and commune
A view across the river in Tournon-sur-Rhône
Coat of arms
Location of Tournon-sur-Rhône
Tournon-sur-Rhône Show map of France Tournon-sur-Rhône Show map of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Coordinates: 45°04′05″N 4°50′00″E
Country	France
Region	Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Department	Ardèche
Arrondissement	Tournon-sur-Rhône
Canton	Tournon-sur-Rhône
Intercommunality	CA Arche Agglo
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Frédéric Sausset[1]
Area 1	21.01 km2 (8.11 sq mi)
Population  (2022)[2]	11,302
• Density	540/km2 (1,400/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	07324 /07300
Elevation	115–508 m (377–1,667 ft) (avg. 123 m or 404 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Geography

It is located on the right bank of the river Rhône, in the Ardèche departement,^[4] opposite Tain-l'Hermitage, (which is located in the Drôme département).

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.^[4]

Population

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1793 3,300 —     1800 3,419 +0.51% 1806 3,984 +2.58% 1821 3,555 −0.76% 1831 3,971 +1.11% 1836 4,174 +1.00% 1841 4,740 +2.58% 1846 4,807 +0.28% 1851 4,861 +0.22% 1856 4,918 +0.23% 1861 5,252 +1.32% 1866 5,509 +0.96% 1872 5,390 −0.36% 1876 6,083 +3.07% 1881 5,092 −3.49% 1886 5,286 +0.75% 1891 5,146 −0.54% 1896 5,344 +0.76%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1901 5,174 −0.64% 1906 5,003 −0.67% 1911 4,719 −1.16% 1921 5,037 +0.65% 1926 5,043 +0.02% 1931 5,332 +1.12% 1936 5,658 +1.19% 1946 5,798 +0.24% 1954 6,785 +1.98% 1962 6,878 +0.17% 1968 7,858 +2.24% 1975 8,732 +1.52% 1982 9,099 +0.59% 1990 9,546 +0.60% 1999 9,946 +0.46% 2009 10,674 +0.71% 2014 10,558 −0.22% 2020 10,835 +0.43%
Source: EHESS[5] and INSEE (1968-2020)[6]

Notable sights

• The church of St Julian dates chiefly from the 14th century.
• The lycée occupies an old college founded in the 16th century by Cardinal François de Tournon, and is today still a functioning high school Lycée Gabriel-Faure [fr] but is occasionally open for tours.^[7]
• One of the two suspension bridges which unite the town with Tain-l'Hermitage on the left bank of the river is the Passerelle Marc-Seguin [fr]. 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
• Sébastien Joly (born 1979), racing cyclist, coach and sports director
• Greta Richioud (born 1996), racing cyclist

See also

Gustave-Toursier bridge with the Tour de la Vierge in the background

• Communes of the Ardèche department
• Antoine Sartorio