Middle Ages

Bell Tower of the Trachin Chapel

The first written mention of Annonay dates from 403. A chronicle of archives in Vienne characterized the city as a small town "built by poor unclothed workers lost in the mountains of Haut-Vivarais".

A manuscript which has now disappeared, History of Annonay by P. Bartholomew Popon stated that Evance, Bishop of Vienne, had built on the site of Liberty Square a church dedicated to Saint-Mary or Our Lady in 584.

A charter of 790 ("The statutes of the Church of Vienne"), confirmed in 805, extracted from the cartulary of the Church of Vienne and quoted Annonay as the seat of a rural archpriest.

In the 13th and early 14th centuries, the small town of Annonay was an important step on the road of pilgrimage to the Virgin of Puy-en-Velay. In witness to this hostelries for pilgrims, five monasteries including the Saint-Clair Convent, one Cordelier, and two priories one of which was the Chapel of Trachin.

The family de Roussillon dominated the region. One of its members, Guillaume de Roussillon, participated in the Crusades. From 1288 a charter was signed between the city and the Lord of Annonay. This granted some autonomy to the city: in particular the right to levy taxes.

In 1342 or 1347, Annonay suffered the Black Death which raged in Europe. A large part of the population was decimated. From 1365 two consuls were responsible for the city.

During the 15th century, Annonay affirmed itself as a commercial crossroads: exporting its wine, trading between the valley of the Rhône, the Dauphiné and the mountain by mule, the tannery developed using the waters of the Deume. The city, built on a rocky outcrop located between two rivers, was defended by the castle of Roussillon in the south and two fortified houses: in the north Maleton and in the west Du Peloux. A line of ramparts ringed all. The suburbs grew towards the Champ de Mars along the banks of the Cance and Deume. The relative prosperity however attracted thieves, highwaymen, and mercenaries. During the Hundred Years War the city strengthened its fortifications with watchtowers, such as the so-called Martyrs Tower. The walls were pierced by gates to control the entrance and exit to the city. There are written references to the Deume, Cance, and Champ entrances, to mention only the most important.

In 1487 the city had fourteen churches or chapels for about two thousand inhabitants. At the center of town was the parish Church of Notre Dame to which was attached a college of canons of the order of Saint-Ruf. Until the Wars of Religion clerics represented up to half of the population.

Modern times (16th and 17th centuries)

The Place Grenette

In 1524 Annonay was attached to the domain of the King of France in the wake of the revolt by the Constable of Bourbon: his property, which included Annonay, was confiscated. The country was then dominated by the Lévis-Ventadour, the Rohan-Soubises etc.

17th–18th centuries

The first flight of the Montgolfière balloon

Catholicism became the new majority in the capital of Upper Vivarais due to the massive influx of foreign population. Reconstruction of the Church of Notre Dame was undertaken with a constrained budget. Meanwhile, the Trachin Chapel, the only intact religious building, became the parish church. A Protestant church was built in the district of the Place Saint-Ursula. In September 1601 Annonay received a visit by the future Saint Francis de Sales and a little later from the future Saint John Francis Regis. The reconstruction of the city was characterized by the arrival of new religious communities and the creation of educational institutions such as the Convent of Santa Maria. A new hospital, joining the medieval structures of Notre-Dame La Belle and Notre-Dame de l'Aumône was created on 16 March 1686 at the Champ-de-Mars.

In 1685 the revocation of the Edict of Nantes affected Annonay. Protestants who were at that time 50% of the population^[8] had to choose between exile, abjuration, or to continue practicing their religion in secret. The Protestants were mostly artisans, manufacturers, wine-growers, and traders.^[9] A century later a census showed that there were only 7% Protestants mostly from the upper classes.^[10]

The paper industry was started in Annonay in the 17th century with the Montgolfiers, papermakers originating from Auvergne, installed at Vidalon-lès-Annonay (today a hamlet in the commune of Davézieux). The Johannot, another Auvergne family, had been settled in Faya since 1634. Attracted to the water quality, the driving force of the rivers, and the abundance of raw materials (rags), they imported technological innovations from Holland: e.g. the Dutch pile.

In the maze of streets and small squares of Annonay, there was progress with the commissioning in 1726 of four public fountains fed by captive water sources.

In 1780 industrial production was booming: 25,000 cow hides and 500,000 sheep skins were processed by the tanneries. Paper mills produced 300 tons of paper. This success did not go smoothly: the employment in great numbers of the best workers by Montgolfier caused a scarcity of labor and demands for wage increases. There was a strike for two months in the Vidalon Workshop in late 1781 after a long period of tension between the employer and his employees, the first lost the best of his workforce through his intransigent attitude^[11] at a time when fights between gavots and journeymen were common.^[12]

In 1781, the term Bailiage was changed to Sénéchaussée.

On 14 December 1782, thanks to Etienne and Joseph Montgolfier, the first balloon rose above Vidalon-lès-Annonay. It consisted of a large paper bag lined with cloth placed over a fire of wet straw and wool. It remained however a private experience: the first public official flight in a hot air balloon took place on 4 June 1783 at Annonay, or precisely from the Place des Cordeliers – in front of a chosen public: the Members of State particularly of Vivarais. Several other inventions are credited to Joseph Montgolfier: the hydraulic ram, the method of manufacture of Wove paper and filter paper, called joseph paper.

Annonay developed through trade. It benefited from an improved road network (even if it was as a result of the revolt of camisards).^[13] In 1787 Annonay had 130 merchants for about 7,000 inhabitants. Among them: 11 drapers, 11 clothiers, 26 grocers, 3 goldsmiths, 26 shoe merchants, and 28 tailors.^[13] At the same time, the Catholic parish of the city was headed by a priest-archpriest, and vicars. The college of canons was composed of the prior and twelve canons. The monastery of the Poor Clares had twelve nuns and two lay sisters, the Convent of Santa Maria had thirty nuns and four lay sisters. Adding to this religious presence was the pastor of the Protestant community.

French Revolution

The French Revolution started down this organization. The region was characterized by a wave of dechristianization which caused a certain spirit of resistance among the Catholic and Protestant populations. The Terror made victims such as Pierre-François Dulau-Dallemand, the pastor of Saint-Julien-Vocance; Bartholomew Montblanc, Vicar at Givors hidden around Annonay, and the priests of Rouville, Bac-et-Guards, and former Jesuits. To them must be added the three Sisters of Saint-Joseph from the community of Vernosc-lès-Annonay.

The representatives of Annonay, while being very favorable to the new order, adopted a moderate attitude. This moderation was well illustrated by the personality of the lawyer Boissy d'Anglas, closely linked to the Girondins. André Joseph Abrial, a native of Annonay, became Minister of Justice and was an author of the Civil Code (Code Napoleon).

19th century

Statue of the Montgolfier brothers (1883–1885)

During the first half of the 19th century, the need for an industrial workforce for paper-making and leather at Annonay attracted population from the surrounding countryside. The number of inhabitants doubled from 5,550 in 1801 to 11,398 in 1846 (it would reach 18,445 inhabitants in 1866). The physiognomy of the city changed with the rapid development or opening of new shopping streets (Rues Sadi Carnot, Montgolfier, Boissy d'Anglas, Tournon, Melchior de Vogue). A new city hall was built in a developing area.

In 1822, the Congregation of St. Basil, a Catholic order of priests was founded in the town.

On 26 February 1848, the city workers violently showed their support for the revolutionary Parisians (during February 1848), including the stoning of houses belonging to notable people. The army maintained order.^[14]

With demographic pressure, the size of the existing infrastructure including the sole Catholic church did not allow proper welcoming of new residents to the faith. Two new churches were built: Saint-Francis and Saint-Joseph. Around the city, about a kilometer or two new town houses were built in the image of the Domain of Marc Seguin or Déomas Castle constituting a "sunbelt".

The tannery rode the industrial prosperity of Annonay. High-end gloves were made in Grenoble but the best skins came from Annonay. In 1870 the Annonay tannery processed 8 million skins and employed 50% of the workers in the city. Three thousand of them were working at the time in this industry.

Improving the road network and creating the first lines of railway put an end to Annonay's role as a commercial center for the mountainous hinterland. The latter was now in direct contact with Saint-Étienne. The east-west trade that were advantageous to Annonay were replaced by north-south trade particularly following the valley of the Rhône. From now on Annonay, although the hometown of Marc Seguin, would be connected to the railway network by a branch line.

The Franco-Prussian War of 1870 blocked exports: the stocks of the Annonay works were blocked for a time in Paris. This crisis began the decline of the tanneries in Annonay compounded by weak industrial investment. More than 2,000 employees were laid off to go and find work in other areas.

Barthélémy Baru Canson married the daughter of Étienne de Montgolfier. New processes of papermaking were established and production became specialized. The paper mill employed 1,500 people around 1875. Such activity requires a lot of water which was supplied by the Ternay reservoir from 1867. Its water was also distributed to residents through standpipes positioned in each district.

While modern community life was started with the creation of the first sports clubs such as Annonéenne, a company gym which still exists; the nascent local press reported on events such as celebrations marking the centenary of the first flight of a balloon. Annonay improved its main entrance by creating a new road connecting the PLM station to the center of town: the Boulevard of the Republic (1883–1888).

The 20th century

Valgelas Bridge

In the early 20th century, the city still retained its appearance after the Wars of religion except for the Station district. Construction works were mainly concentrated in the industrial valleys of Cance and Deume. The historic center saw the building of Annonay's first department store "Les Galeries Modernes" (currently Public Service offices) and reconstruction on another site of the historic church of Notre-Dame. At this time the magic of electricity came (1910). The telephone was known and used. The national news with the laws on religious congregations and the separation of church and state was a passion in Annonay and in its surroundings. There were expulsions of monks and nuns with the Querelle des inventaires particularly active during violent protests motivated by the fear of a return to the excesses of 1793–1794.

The First World War with its refugees, its wounded, its mutilated, and its dead (552 from Annonay) put an end to the protests.

The period between the two wars was marked by the presidential visit of Alexandre Millerand in 1923 on the occasion of the inauguration of the monument in honor of Marc Seguin and by the 150th anniversary of the first flight of the balloon (1933). The appearance of the city remained the same: dirty, dark streets, few new buildings like the "Vanaude" house. The "sunbelt" of castles contrast with the city center of slums and polluting industries. On the economic front mechanical industries grew: machines for the tannery of the Mercier brothers and especially for the manufacturing of buses. The old craft business of Jean-Joseph Besset became Renault then Irisbus, who manufacture its entire range of buses and coaches for France. These entrepreneurs invented the concept of the industrial zone. The descendants of the Montgolfier brothers, B. and E. de Canson invented tracing paper and photographic paper. Weaving experiencing strong growth.

During the Second World War Annonay was the site of the last battles of 1940. On 6 June 1944 the local resistance of the Secret Army were the first to liberate their own city. These facts earned the city the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 and a citation at the order of the nation.

When peace returned, industrial sectors developed in Annonay such as food processing and pharmaceutical production. Other industries declined following the marginalisation of the work of leather and textile after great social conflict. The face of the city changed. From 1949 near the Besset factory a new district was created from scratch on farmland. It contains large housing subdivisions, schools, sports facilities and shops. Catholics built their fourth church in the city. Urbanization moved towards Boulieu-lès-Annonay, Roiffieux, and especially Davézieux with its industrial and commercial area. In the center, renovation of the old town, reconstruction of the banks of the Deume and the hillsides of Cance are scheduled. From a city with black façades, slums, and industrial wastelands, Annonay has become a colorful city made of new or rehabilitated buildings. The Deume has been covered for more than one kilometer and a new axis conveys traffic: the Avenue de l'Europe.

The Annonay people celebrated with great pomp the centenary of the railway line (1970), Marc Seguin (1975 and 1986), and the bicentennial of the first flight of the hot air balloon (1983).

The 21st century

Panoramic view of Annonay

The city bore the brunt of deindustrialisation. Economic jewels disappeared causing job losses (industrial weaving, manufacture and paper production). At the same time new companies emerged bringing hope in the fields of food and cleaning equipment.

Although more discreet in a secular society religious life remains. The Catholic community created the parish of Sainte-Claire by merging the parishes of the city of Annonay, Roiffieux, Vocance, Villevocance, Vanosc, Saint-Julien-Vocance, Monestier, and the hamlet of Toissieu. The Protestant community is shared between the Evangelical Church and the United Protestant Church of France. The Muslim community built the House of the Orient, a building which includes the first mosque in Annonay.

On 8 March 2001, an ETA suspect was arrested at a local roadblock.

Associative and cultural life is rich. The people of Annonay celebrated the centennial of the opening of the new Church of Notre Dame (2012) and the establishment of the Joseph Besset factory (2013).

Heraldry

Arms of Annonay

The motto of Annonay is Cives et semper cives meaning "Citizens and always citizens" Blazon: Chequy of Or and Gules of 4 tires.

Distribution of age groups

The age distribution of the population of the town is similar to the average for the department.

Percentage distribution of age groups in Annonay and Ardèche Department in 2017

Source: INSEE^[17][18]

Civil heritage

The Montgolfier brothers

"The Montgolfier brothers"

• A Statue of the brothers Joseph and Etienne de Montgolfier located in the Place de Liberation. A work by the sculptor Henri Cordier, it was inaugurated on 5 June 1888.^[20]
• The Pyramid stone obelisk, the work of Étienne-François Imbard located on the Boulevard de la République. Built between 1819 and 1822, it commemorates the first ballooning experience of the Montgolfier brothers.^[21][4]
• The Montgolfier-Canson Paper Mill (18th century) is registered as an historical monument.^[22]

Marc Seguin

Statue of Marc Seguin

• A Monument to Marc Seguin, Place de la Liberté ( 1923 ). This bronze statue, the work of François Clémencin, was removed by the German army in 1942 then was replaced by a statue by the same sculptor which was inaugurated on 1 June 1947.^[20]
• The Domain of Marc Seguin at Varagnes (19th century) is registered as a historical monument.^[23]

Fountains

Jean-Baptiste Béchetoille fountain

• The Jean-Baptiste Béchetoille fountain (1900). The work of the architect Millefaud.^[20]
• The Fountain in the Place Grenette (1726).
• The Fountain in the Place de la Liberté opened in 1923.

Other sites of interest

Château of Déomas.

• The City Hall of neoclassical inspiration (1835), rebuilt twice after fires (1870 and 1926).
• The Fortified house of Nicolas du Peloux in Rue de la Postern (Governor in 1577).
• Bourgeois mansions in Rue de Trachin from the 17th and 18th centuries.
• The Valgelas Bridge (14th century), a former city gate.^[25]
• The La Vanaude House at 33 Avenue Marc-Seguin (1930) is registered as an historical monument. It is the work of the architects Hugues Gosselin and Maurice Frappa.^[26]
• The César Filhol Museum in Rue Bechetoille (1700), formerly the royal bailiwick house.^[27] The museum contains two items that are registered as historical objects:
  • A Group Sculpture: Virgin of Pity (16th century)^[28]
  • A Statue: Christ (17th century)^[29] possibly by Veyrines.
• The Place Mayol (16th century) with a door of glazing beads.
• The Château of Déomas (1876) illustration of the "Sun Belt of Annonay".^[30]
• Substantial remains of the railway line between Firminy, Bourg-Argental, and Saint-Rambert-d'Albon:
  • Vidalon Tunnel, a passage on a ledge above the Deûme (covered in vegetation in 2013);
  • Retaining walls with characteristic stone-setting of the "Station district" (in the Place de la Gare in Annonay); Sacré-Cœur tunnel;
  • the Vissenty cutting.

Religious heritage

Church in the hamlet of Toissieu

• The Church Our Lady of the Assumption, in the neo-Byzantine Roman style, built between 1904 and 1912. Its bell tower contains a Carillon of five bells with a weight more than 2,100 kg (4,630 lb). It replaced a church of the same patronage located on the Place de la Liberté.^[31] The work of the architects Rey, Allengry, and Joly. Its interior decoration (paste paintings) is inspired by the Litanies of the Blessed Virgin, the Litany of Loreto, the Bible, hagiography, and the history of Annonay.^{[20][21][25][32][33][34][35]} Consecrated in 1954, it contains many items that are registered as historical objects:
  • 2 Statues: Adoring Angels (18th century)^[36]
  • A Statue: Virgin and child (18th century)^[37]
  • A Gallery Organ (1880)^[38][39] signed Cavaillé-Coll.
  • A Choir Organ (1848)^[40][41]
  • 2 Statues: Acolyte Angels (17th century)^[42]
  • 2 Statues: Cherubs (17th century)^[43]
  • A Bust-Reliquary: Saint John of the Cross (17th century)^[44]
  • A Bust-Reliquary: Saint Peter of Alcantara (17th century)^[45]
• The Church of Saint Francis of Assisi, in neo-Gothic style (1863–1866).^[31]
• The Church of Saint Joseph of Cance, in neo-Gothic style (1870–1872).^[31]
• The Church of the Holy Family of Perrières, in modern style (1957–1958).^[31]
• The Church of Saint Maurice of Toissieu, in neo-Gothic style (1876–1878).^[31]
• The Chapel of the Evangelical Free Church, Boulevard de la République (1900).
• The Temple of the Reformed Church, Rue Franki Kramer, portal from the 18th century.
• Orient House, Muslim cultural and religious center (2008–2013).
• The Chapel of the Hospital, dating from the 17th century.^[20][25] The chapel contains many items that are registered as historical objects:
  • A Sideboard (19th century)^[46]
  • 2 Apothecary Jars (19th century)^[47]
  • A Venetian Wall lamp mirror (18th century)^[48]
  • A Chest of Drawers with diamond corners (18th century)^[49]
  • A Painting: Christ on the Cross (17th century)^[50]
  • A Painting: The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian (17th century)^[51]
  • A Painting with gold frame: Pope Clement VI (18th century)^[52]
  • A Painting with gold frame: Saint Jerome (17th century)^[53]
  • A Painting with gold frame: Adoration of the Trinity (17th century)^[54]
  • 24 Apothecary Jars (19th century)^[55]
  • A Mortar and pestle (1654)^[56]
  • A Mortar and pestle with chopping block (13th century)^[57]
• The Chapel of the Convent of Saint Mary (1633) is registered as an historical monument. The convent was built on the foundations of a castle called Malatour in 1630 with the Chapel built later in 1633.^{[20][25][58][59]} The chapel contains several items that are registered as historical objects:
  • A Triptyche: 3 paintings of the life of Saint Francis Regis (1888)^[60]
  • A Retable (17th century)^[61]
  • A framed Painting: Raphael Sara and Tobie (17th century)^[62]
  • Wood panelling and Paintings (17th century)^[63]

Madonna on the Saint-Denis rocks

• The Vierge des Fouines Statue (Nosy Virgin Statue) or Our Lady of Faith Statue placed on the rocks of Saint-Denis. 5.22 metres tall and the work of Bachini from Lyon. It was blessed on 26 September 1943.^[20]
• The Chapel of Trachin or Trachi is in Gothic style with an octagonal bell tower, with remains of a priory dating from 1320.^[64][4] The chapel contains several items that are registered as historical objects:
  • A Decorative ceiling painting (19th century)^[65]
  • A Bust of Saint François-de-Sales (17th century)^[66]
  • A Painting: the Nativity of the Virgin (18th century)^[67]
  • A Painting: Saints Jacques and Philippe (1658)^[68]
  • A Statue: Virgin and child (18th century)^[69]
• The Chapel of Vidalon-les-Annonay contains a Gallery Organ (1818) that is registered as an historical object.^[70][71]
• The former Chapel of Saint-Clair in Rue Sadi Carnot (14th century) is registered as an historical monument.^[72] It was built in Gothic style from 1348 to 1356.
• The Cemetery chapel at Toissieu.

Military Heritage

• The War Memorial (1914–1918, 1939–1945, and subsequent wars). Designed by architect Maurice Luquet, the statues The pensive soldier and The Stricken Woman were sculpted by Paul Landowski. It was inaugurated on 25 June 1922.^[20]
• The Monument of Mobiles (1907) at the cemetery. Designed by architect Theodore Joly and sculptor Aimé Millet.^[20]
• An Old door from the castle dating from the 12th century.
• The Soubises Vaults, remnants of the walls with a covered path around (12th–13th centuries).^[25]
• The Tower of Martyrs, from the 12th century, the remains of the ramparts of the city, this tower is located above the Deume. It is said that the condemned were thrown to their death in the shallow river. It is also believed that the name may come from the Martins ford which it defended.^[20][25]

Cultural heritage

Facade of the Bassin d'Annonay theatre

• The "Italian" Theatre (1887), in the Place des Cordeliers, built on the site of the chapel of the former Franciscan convent.