Alba-la-Romaine

Alba-la-Romaine is located some 5 km west of Montelimar on a mountain ridge overlooking the Rhone river valley. The commune can be accessed on Highway N102 running west from Le Teil and through the northern part of the commune and continuing west to Saint-Jean-le-Centenier. Local Road D253 enters the commune from Sceautres in the north and runs south crossing the N102 before continuing to the village of Alba-la-Romaine and then continuing south to Valvigneres. Another district road the D107 commences from the village and goes south to Saint-Thome. There is an extensive network of small country roads throughout the commune.[3]

There are extensive areas of farmland in the commune especially following the ridge line from north to south as well as steep mountain slopes. An extensive network of streams throughout the commune run into L'Escoutay river which runs south out of the commune then east to join the Rhone near Viviers. The western border of the commune is formed by the Ruisseau de Julieu. Le Rounei, and Le Ruisseau de Berg streams which flow into Le Salauzon stream which is part of the southern border of the commune before eventually joining L'Escoutay river.

There are a few villages and hamlets in the commune including: Les Baumes, Le Buis d'Aps, La Roche, Saint-Philippe, and Le Pont. A metre-gauge railway line traverses the north of the commune but the nearest station is at Saint-Jean-le-Centenier.[3]

There are also the remains of a Roman city and a medieval village in the commune.

It has been assumed that when the city of Alba was founded at the beginning of the Roman Empire it was the successor, as often occurred in Gaul, of an earlier city. The existence of a protohistoric oppidum Chaulène on the plateau, northwest of Alba, is in fact likely. The assumption of a lowland habitat can also be used as the excavations to the west of the "St. Peter" site have yielded the remains of stone tools dating from the late third millennium. At the location of two "domus" south-east of the "home field Lauzun" site, a habitat was found of La Tène III (first century BC.) The discovery of imported ceramics of "Campanian type A" which debris was also collected in "Saint-Pierre" such as collars, handles, and lips of wine amphorae from Italy and some Allobrogian currency issued in the third quarter of the 1st century AD revealed a long term relationship with the Romans before the invasion. Other hill forts are known in the territory of Helviens such as Jastres North.

When Bituitos, the Chief of the Arverni people who were located beyond the Cevennes, was defeated in 121 BC by the Roman consul Quintus Fabius Maximus Allobrogicus, Alba was already the capital of the Helviens territory which corresponded approximately to the current department of the Ardeche. Their neighbours were Segusiavi: to the north-west the Vellaves Gabales and to the south Volques Arécomiques. Fabius Maximus managed to separate the Helviens the Allobroges and Arverni and draw them into alliance with Rome. They obtained the title of allies and friends of Rome and Julius Caesar observed, on his arrival in Gaul, that they were independent and had their own customs and administration. In 83 BC Cabur, the Chief of the helviens obtained Roman citizenship under the name of Gaius Valerius Caburus and his son Gaius Valerius Troucillus became a friend of Julius Caesar. The pro-Roman politics of the Helviens allowed Caesar to install his forces near the Arverni. After winning over the Helvie and its capital Alba there was major economic development.

Subsequently, Augustus Caesar conferred on Alba the privilege of Roman law. First attached to the province of Aquitaine in the time of Strabo, it appears to have been integrated into the province of Narbonne.

Shops along the cardus maximus

"The Starting point of the Roman roads to Valence, Vienne, and Lyon by the banks of the Rhone, another to Bourg-Saint-Andéol, Narbonne, and finally to Gergovie. Apart from the roads, Alba was the centre of an agricultural region, especially for wine, and a regional trading centre of Gaul.... Alba was from the first century a major city", said Marcel Le Glay, "although not equaling the splendour of Arles, Orange, Nimes or Vienne. Until its peak in the second century, Alba developed on two axes: south on the terraces of Escoutay and north in the "Bagnols" district located near the valley the Rhone below the Massif Central.

At the time of the Christianization of the city, the first episcopal see of the region remains uncertain, ranging from the late first century or that of the second century. After its decline, probably from the late third century, the city lost its episcopal function in the middle of the fourth century to the benefit of Viviers. The ancient site was abandoned and a new settlement was made in the Middle Ages in the location of the present village.

The names of the Bishops of Alba are known to us through a document written in 950 by the Bishop of Viviers (Thomas II): the Charta Vetus: they were called Januarius, Septimius, Maspicianus, Melanus and Auxonius. The existence of a Bishop Avolus is a popular tradition (Yves Esquieu). This was attributed to the Alemanni at the destruction of Alba Helvorium in 406 AD.

Bishop Avolus was put to death and his successor Bishop Auxionus established the fortified town of Viviers which gave him his diocese name Vivarais. Yves Esquieu [7] gave a transfer date around 475 but if so then the transfer would have been done by Promotus, a successor of Bishop Auxonius.

Against the wall of the Jewish cemetery in the northern district of Bonn, Germany there is a relief from the tombstone of the first known inhabitant of Bonn: namely a Roman soldier who came in 35 AD from Helviorium Alba (Alba-La-Romaine today). The tombstone inscription, translated from Latin means:

"Here lies Publius Clodius, son of Plubius, from the Voltinia Region, born at Alba, soldier of the first legion, 48 years old, died after 25 years of service.".[8]

Heraldry

Arms of Alba-le-Romaine

Blazon: Two escutcheons accolé, the one argent with a tower of Azure, the two gules with cross argent.

• In 1979 the town was the location of the filming of the TV series Kick, Raoul, la moto, les jeunes et les autres.
• On Friday 28 November 2008 : A carriage from an SNCF train overturned killing one and injuring five, one seriously.

The commune contains a large number of sites and buildings - especially farmhouses - that have been registered as historical monuments.[13] There are also a large number of items registered as historical objects contained in many buildings throughout the commune.[14]

Monuments and tourist sites

The Village

The village has been ranked among Les Plus Beaux Villages de France (the Most Beautiful Villages of France), but is not certified to date.

Château d'Alba

Chateau of Alba

Dating from the 12th to the 16th centuries, the Château of Alba had a military function as well as being a prestigious residence. It is listed in the inventory of Historic Monuments [15] and is open to the public (exhibitions, events).

Door to the house/workshop of Jean Le Moal.

On 15 September 1948, the painter André Lhote published in the newspaper Combat an article that described "the stony streets of Alba, its walls irregular checkerboards with alternate haphazardly arranged black and white stones, which makes this a wonderful material, a little austere, that is found throughout the Ardèche roads. The Abandoned houses still have their roofs which is miraculous (...). Here is a village eagerly waiting for its resurrection. What is the artist, the intellectual has his nest egg, one or two dozen surplus notes that could be put into the work to be done: save a beautiful old house which miraculously survived the war and universal contempt, moreover to ensure a noble vacation in a country where the most capricious combinations of natural elements abound?".

From 1949 many foreign artists and personalities settled and rebuilt houses in Alba-la-Romaine, including:

• Communes of the Ardèche department
• Romanization (cultural)
• Roman Empire
• Caburus
• Julius Caesar

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alba-la-Romaine.

• Alba-la-Romaine official website (in French)
• Alba-la-Romaine on Lion1906
• Alba-la-Romaine on Géoportail, National Geographic Institute (IGN) website (in French)
• Aps on the 1750 Cassini Map