Nestled between streams and hillsides, the city of Saint-Vallier has no shortage of assets and offers an ideal living environment thanks to its territory with varied landscapes. Peaceful by its living environment, dynamic by its associative life and its services to the population, Saint-Vallier is a town where life is good.
It has a booming economic pole: an "Interval" commercial zone, a "Les Iles" economic activity zone and a leading industry with internationally renowned companies.
It also offers a variety of services giving it all aspects of a large city: a public health institution (Romans-Saint Vallier), public and private schools (ranging from primary to high school), a municipal campsite 3 stars, a media library, a cinema, a theater, a plastic arts center that hosts many exhibitions throughout the year, a river stop, a leisure and restaurant area on the banks of the Rhone...
Saint-Vallier has been awarded with the Label of the Most Sporting Commune of the Drôme, in the category of cities from 1000 to 5000 inhabitants thanks to the numerous associations (including the Saint-Vallier Basket Drôme) and the infrastructures present on the territory: two sports complexes, two stadiums, a gym, an aquatic complex, the ViaRhôna...
Saint-Vallier has built heritage that she has been able to highlight.
The most remarkable elements of Saint-Vallier's historic built heritage are the church and the castle, which escaped the American bombardment of August 16, 1944.
All vestiges of the past can be discovered following the signposted historic route, which forms a real circuit in the old town.
The early Romanesque church dates back to the 12th century. There remains only one wall, on the south facade. The contrast of the hues is due to the use of different rocks: ocher molasse, white limestone and black volcanic stone. The choir is of Flamboyant Gothic style and features a beautiful 17th century altarpiece. The bell tower was erected between 1611 and 1623.
The castle of Diane de Poitiers was built in the 15th century. Square building with corner towers, it is surrounded by a park designed by Le Nôtre. Terraces were added in 1752. Diane de Poitiers was born in this castle in 1499. She later became the mistress of Francis I and Henry II. The castle can not be visited, but you can admire a part of it by going up the left bank of the Galaure.
In the 9th century, the city of Saint-Vallier locked itself in ramparts. These are no longer visible from the Orsolles square, but nevertheless form the basis of the urban fabric of the town.
The paleontological deposit of Saint-Vallier is located on the Plateau de Montrebut. It is internationally known for its fossil vertebrates, the scientific community having chosen it as the international reference for the animals of the geological time slot called "Villafranchian means", which lasted from about 2.4 to 1.9 million. years. Discovered in 1855, the site was excavated for the first time from 1946 to 1956, by Jean Viret, Professor at the Faculty of Sciences of Lyon, who made known the exceptional paleontological wealth in a book published in 1954. The excavation was taken over from 1993 to 1999 by a team led by Martine Faure and Claude Guérin, from the University of Lyon, in order to better understand the site and understand its formation. The results of the new research were published in 2004. A total of forty species of mammals were discovered, including the Arverne mastodon, the southern mammoth, the Etruscan rhinoceros, a wild boar, antelopes including a gazelle, a wild ox, three species of deer, wild horses, carnivores like two species of machairodontes, two species of hyenas, the arverne bear, a panther, a giant cheetah, a lynx, a raccoon dog, otters and two species of beaver; Insectivores and small rodents have also been collected, as well as a dozen species of birds. New species could be defined from some of these fossils. The set has helped to reconstruct the paleo environment of about 2 million years ago. Fossil pollen grains also help to show that the climate of the time was relatively humid and temperate. These fossils were found in two superimposed geological layers which are hardened beds of loess, most of which come from the upper layer. The dating of these fossils was obtained by biochronology and electron paramagnetic resonance on dental enamel, it was confirmed by the presence of tephras, volcanic projections from Mount Dore, whose age is known elsewhere. This accumulation of bones naturally occurred on the shore of the Paleo-Rhone and is not due to the fossil men whose presence in Western Europe at that time is not demonstrated. The fossils of Saint-Vallier are currently preserved at the Museum of Natural History of Lyon and in the Collections Service of U.F.R. of Earth Sciences from Claude Bernard University - Lyon I.
