Riom

French commune
nomcommune=Riom| région=Auvergne
département=Puy-de-Dôme
("sous-préfecture")| arrondissement=Riom
canton= Chief town of 2 cantons
insee= 63300
cp= 63200
maire= Jean-Claude Zicola (PS)
mandat= 2001-2008
intercomm= Riom-Communauté
longitude=3.11333333333
latitude=45.8944444444
alt moy= 337 m
alt mini=
alt maxi=
hectares= 3,197
km²= 31.97
sans=18,548
date-sans=1999
dens= 580.16|date-dens=1999

Riom (Occitan: "Riam") is a historic city in the Auvergne "région" of France. It is a commune and "sous-préfecture" of the Puy-de-Dôme "département".

History

Until the French Revolution, Riom was the capital of the province of Auvergne, and the seat of the dukes of Auvergne. The city was of Gaulish origin, the Roman "Ricomagus". In the intensely feudalized Auvergne of the 10th century, the town grew up around the collegiate Church of Saint Amabilis (Saint Amable), the local saint, who was the object of pilgrimages. Riom was the capital of the dukes of Auvergne. In the 14th century the city benefitted from the patronage of the Jean, duc de Berry, who rebuilt the Ducal Palace and the Saint-Chapelle. In 1531, Riom and the Auvergne reverted to the Crown of France.

In 1942, Riom was the site of the Vichy government's abortive war-guilt trials, called Riom Trials.

ights

In 1985 Riom received the French classification of "Ville d'Art et d'Histoire" recognizing its sixteen classified historical monuments as well as another 57 on the supplementary listings. Several 17th- and 18th-century private houses ("hôtels particuliers") are open to the public with collections of costumes and works of decorative art.

Riom's two major public squares are "Place Jean-Baptiste Laurent" and "Place du pré-Madame" in which stand two large fountains in homage to Desaix.

Miscellaneous

Births

Riom was the birthplace of:
* Pierre Victor, baron Malouet (1740–1814), publicist and politician
* Gilbert Romme (1750–1795), politician
* Joseph Projectus Machebeuf (1812–1889), Vicar Apostolic Colorado and Utah Bishop Denver Co USA

Cultural references

Tesuque is mentioned in Willa Cather's 1927 novel "Death Comes for the Archbishop", Book Nine Chapter 1.

Twin towns

* Algemesi, Spain
* Nördlingen, Germany
* Viana do Castelo, Portugal
* Adur, England
* Żywiec, Poland

External links

* [http://www.riom.net/ Riom] - Official site for the city of Riom (in French).
* [http://www.riom-auvergne.com/ Riom Tourism] - Official site from the Auvergne Office de Tourisme.
* [http://archive.joan-of-arc.org/joanofarc_letter_Nov1429.html Joan of Arc's letter to Riom] - Translation by Allen Williamson of a letter dictated by Joan of Arc to the people of Riom on November 9, 1429.
* [http://www.desaix.fr The Musée de Veygoux] is a museum in the Manoir de Veygoux dedicated to the French Revolution and Desaix.
* [http://www.marxists.org/history/etol/writers/heijen/works/riom.htm The Riom trials of 1942, from a Marxist perspective]