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In the picturesque City of Valence, in Southern France, many Gallo-Roman fragments were reused for houses, and the cathedral even has a Roman milestone.

 A Roman milestone in a cathedral

The Cathedral Saint-Appolinaris of Valence, France, was built under Bishop Gontard in the early twelfth century. The dedication stone which is still visible says : « Built in honour of the Virgin Mary and Saints Corneille and Cyprien, our cathedral church was consecrated by Urban II, assisted by twelve bishops on August 5, 1095 ». The pope was then on his way to Clermont to preach the first crusade. The cathedral also keeps the heart of another pope Pius IV who died in Valence in 1798.

Devastated by the Wars of religion, the edifice was rebuilt in the seventeenth century and the bell tower replaced in the nineteenth century. The present sacristy is a chapel of the fifteenth century on the South transept. The polychromatic decoration of the cathedral recalls the Romanesque churches of Auvergne. It presents an ambulatory for the pilgrims; confirming its role on the Road to Santiago de Compostella. The typical Romanesque apse is a must see. Many fragments of stone were reused from ancient Gallo-Roman constructions. One of the twenty two milestones of the Via Agrippa is still visible in the ambulatory. It is the second pillar on the right. It dates from 274 or 275 A.D. It would be the third or fourth mile and bears a valuable inscribing.

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The Maison des Têtes, is a Flambloyant Gothic house (1528-1532) erected by a consul of Valence. Several sculpted heads represent the winds, fortune, time, theology and medicine. The corridor is adorned with Roman emperors. The Pendentif is a Renaissance mausoleum edified in 1548 for Canon Mistral, within the cloisters of the cathedral. It is a sandstone triumphal arch, known for its perfect vault on pendentive; the first historical example of this type. It was restored in 1630 after the vandalism of the Wars of Religion. Converted into a shop in 1796, it was finally saved in 1840 by Prosper Mérimée.

The city of Valence has many beautiful parks, gardens, fountains, historical mansions and canals; a true treasure for those who like to stroll.

The bell tower of the Cathedral and the Pendentif, Valence, France

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Apse of the Cathedral of Valence

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The milestone of the Via Agrippa, Cathedral of Valence

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The Maison des Têtes in Valence

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