Villefranche-sur-Saône


Villefranche-sur-Saône is a commune in the Rhône department in eastern France.
It lies 1 mile west of the Saône River, and is around north of Lyon. The inhabitants of the town are called Caladois.

Notable people

From 1892 to 1897, later Jesuit priest Pierre Teilhard de Chardin attended school in the city.
The popular French singers Coralie Clément and Benjamin Biolay, as well as football player hopeful Grégory Bettiol and actor and cellist Maurice Baquet were born in the town.

History

Villefranche-sur-Saône was founded in 1212 by Guichard IV, count of Beaujeu, and became in the 14th century the capital of the Beaujolais province. It endured three sieges in the 15th and 16th centuries. The town walls were taken down early in the 19th century.

Economy

Industries include wine-trading, metallurgy, textiles, and chemicals.

Buildings

The church of Notre-Dame des Marais, begun at the end of the 14th and finished in the 16th century, has a tower and spire, standing to the right of the 15th century façade, in which are carved wooden doors.

Sport

is based in the town.

Transport

The Autoroute du Sud is adjacent to the east of the town, running alongside the Saône.