Champagne (Ardèche)

Champagne
region	Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Department	Ardèche
Arrondissement	Tournon-sur-Rhône
Canton	Sarras
Community association	Porte de DrômArdèche
Coordinates	45 ° 16 ′  N , 4 ° 48 ′  E Coordinates: 45 ° 16 ′  N , 4 ° 48 ′  E
height	135-361 m
surface	4.10 km 2
Residents	598 (January 1, 2017)
Population density	146 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code	07340
INSEE code	07051

Champagne is a French municipality with 598 inhabitants (at January 1, 2017) in the department of Ardèche in the Region Auvergne Rhône-Alpes . Its inhabitants are called champonais (es) .

geography

Champagne is located in the far north of the Ardèche department, on the right bank of the Rhone and thus on the border with the neighboring Drôme department . Neighboring municipalities are Peyraud in the north, Saint-Rambert-d'Albon in the east, Andancette in the southeast, Saint-Désirat in the south and Bogy in the west. The next largest city is Annonay , eleven kilometers to the southwest.

history

Champagne was owned by the Counts of Albon in the Middle Ages . At the beginning of the 14th century, a charter on the general exemption from fees was introduced in the community. Until 1789, the place was an enclave of the Dauphiné province in the Kingdom of France.

Population development

year	1962	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999	2007	2016
Residents	287	294	320	345	406	488	574	613
Sources: Cassini and INSEE

Culture and sights

St. Pierre Monastery Church

Choir of the Saint-Pierre abbey church

The municipality is known beyond the borders of the region for the Romanesque church of Saint-Pierre , which was built in the 11th and 12th centuries. It is one of the only three churches in France whose nave is covered by domes over trumpets . The masterpiece of Romanesque art was initially intended as a fortified church. Therefore the choir stool was only added in the 15th century. The engraved reliefs showing fantasy animals and human figures are particularly worth seeing.

Around 1026, the reunification of the bishops of the Kingdom of Burgundy took place in the church . Since then the church has belonged to the powerful Counts of Albon. It then became the priory of the Abbey of Saint-Chef in the Isère department , and from 1328 a simple parish church . In 1968 it became a monastery church again and is today the abbey church of the Augustinian Canons of St. Victor (Viktoriner) .

Old ferry port

Another attraction is the stone commemorating the old ferry port of the municipality of Pile du Bac à traille . Although the port of Champagne was not mentioned in texts before 1347, a contract from 1255 between the incumbent Count of Albon and the pastor of Champagne testifies to the existence of this traffic route. Initially, this only served as a bridge between the Dauphiné and its exclave at a convenient location where the Rhône is narrowest and the river cannot cross due to two embankments. Later, however, staple goods were also transported across the river. Until 1790 the port was owned by the Archbishop of Vienne.

In 1816 it was replaced by a large ferry 14 meters long and 3.6 meters wide. On August 24, 1896, however, it was an accident that put an end to the port: The driver of the tug Le Pilat forgot to lower the chimney at the level of the bridge and collided with the structure. The piers on the bank were knocked over by the vibration of the ferry and the bridge broke into numerous pieces.

Web links

Commons : Champagne  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c} Archive link ( Memento of the original from January 25, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.