Not to be confused with Châlons-en-Champagne, formerly known as Châlons-sur-Marne.

Chalon-sur-Saône is a town, former bishopric and commune in central France, in the Saône-et-Loire département, of which it is a sous-préfecture.

Geography

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Chalon-sur-Saône is part of the Burgundy region. It is located on the Saône river, and was once a well known river port, as a point to distribute local wines up and down the Saône river.

History

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The bishopric of Chalon-sur-Saône, a suffragan of the primacy of Lyons since Roman times, was merged into the diocese fo Autun shortly after the French Revolution. Chalon is best known as the birthplace of photography. Its most famous resident, Nicéphore Niépce also has a high school (sixth form college, Brit.) named after him. There is a museum which contains some early photography relics is on the Quai des Messageries in the town, containing more than two million photographs and many old artefacts such as cameras and other equipment for old and modern photography.

Another famous resident is Dominique Vivant Denon (1747-1825) who was involved in the creation of the Louvre Museum, converting the palace into a Museum after the French Revolution.

Sights

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The Saint-Vincent cathedral, on the Place Saint-Vincent (a city square), has certain architectural elements dating from the 8th century, and a neoclassical 19th century façade. This city square also has a number of cafés and is host to a busy market on Fridays and Sundays.

Sources and external links

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• City council website (in French)
• Westermann, Großer Atlas zur Weltgeschichte (in German)

Communes of Saône-et-Loire | Sous-préfectures

Chalon-sur-Saône | Chalon-sur-Saône | Chalon-sur-Saône | Chalon-sur-Saône | Chalon-sur-Saône | Chalon-sur-Saône | Chalon-sur-Saône | Chalon-sur-Saône