Givors

Saint Lazare Church in the hamlet of Saint-Martin-de-Cornas, part of Givors

Coat of arms

Givors

Location within Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region

Givors

Coordinates: 45°35′29″N 4°46′10″E / 45.5914°N 4.7694°ECoordinates: 45°35′29″N 4°46′10″E / 45.5914°N 4.7694°E

Country

Government

• Mayor (2014–2020)

Martial Passi (PCF)

Area¹

17.34 km² (6.70 sq mi)

Population (2012)²

19,419

• Density

1,100/km² (2,900/sq mi)

Time zone

CET (UTC+1)

• Summer (DST)

CEST (UTC+2)

INSEE/Postal code

69091 /69700

Elevation

145–373 m (476–1,224 ft)
(avg. 162 m or 531 ft)

Website

Official website

¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

²Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Givors is a commune in the Metropolis of Lyon in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France.

It lies at the confluence of the Rhone and the Gier about 25 km (16 mi) south of Lyon and on the main road between that city and Saint-Étienne. It lies between the Monts du Lyonnais to the north and west and the foothills of Mont Pilat to the south and west. The city has long served as a crossroads between the communities of the Rhône and those of the Loire. The A47 autoroute runs through the heart of Givors connecting it to Saint-Étienne, Lyon and Vienne. Givors is also a northern gateway to the Pilat Regional Natural Park.

Before Roman times the Segusiavi occupied the territory where the present city of Givors is found. The fishing community lay on the Roman Via Aquitania. The Tour de Varissan was a Roman post of some importance.

In 1032 the province came under rule of the emperor Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor, and was German until 1157, when Frederick Barbarossa officially recognizes that the province belonged to the Kingdom of France. In the 12th century the current city of Givors came into the possession of the Archbishop of Lyon, who was both temporal and spiritual leader of the region. In 1208 the archbishop of Lyon, Renaud de Forez, decided to build a stone castle halfway up the Saint Gerald hill. The Castle of Saint Gerald was the residence of the canons representing the archbishop in Givors. The castle was destroyed in 1591 when Givors was stormed by the troops of Lesdiguières, and was never rebuilt. Today, the ruins of the castle of Saint-Gerald may still be detected.

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Wikipedia