Tournon-sur-Rhône

Subprefecture and commune in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France

(2020–2026) Frédéric Sausset^[1]Area21.01 km² (8.11 sq mi)Population11,191 • Density530/km² (1,400/sq mi)Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)INSEE/Postal codeElevation115–508 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.

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

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%
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.
Source: EHESS[4] and INSEE (1968-2020)[5]

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.^[6]
• 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

• Communes of the Ardèche department
• Antoine Sartorio

References

Further reading