Vienne (city)

Vienne (city), historic city of the department of Isère, in southeastern France. Vienne is on the east bank of the Rhône River, 25 km (16 mi) south of the city of Lyon and 418 km (260 mi) southeast of Paris. Julius Caesar established the Roman colony of Vienna in 47 bc on the site of the ancient capital of the Allobroges, a Celtic tribe. While Gallienus was emperor of Rome, the area was recognized as an independent Gallic domain from ad 259 to 269, with Vienna as its capital. In the 4th century the city gave its name to one of the two dioceses into which Gaul was divided and also became the capital of Provincia Viennensis, one of the 17 provinces. It was also the site of one of the first archbishoprics.

The Burgundians, a Germanic tribe, took the city in ad 438, and a century later it fell to the Franks. The Holy Roman emperor Charles II gave Vienne to Boso, king of Provence, who died in 887. It became part of the Burgundian kingdom of Arles in 933; its rulers, called dauphins (dolphin) from their coat of arms, transferred the region to France in 1349. Thereafter Vienne belonged to the French crown, and the title Dauphin was given to the eldest sons of French kings.

Vienne contains many monuments reflecting its historical past. Roman remains include a theater, an aqueduct, the portico of the Forum, the pyramid-surmounted arch on the site of the circus, and the Temple of Augustus and Livia. The church of Saint Pierre dates from the 6th century and contains a lapidary museum with Roman relics. The church of Saint André-le-Bas, with a fine spire and cloisters, dates from the 12th century. The cathedral of Saint Maurice, with a fine late Gothic portal and a nave containing interesting sculptures and tomb slabs, dates from the 12th to the 16th century. Vienne is noted for the fruits that are grown nearby. Population (2005 estimate) 30,500.