Volonne

Volonne is a commune with 1678 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2011 ) in the department of Alpes- de -Haute -Provence, Provence- Alpes- Côte d' Azur.

Geography

The place is situated on the Durance at an altitude of about 460 meters above the sea.

History

Demographics

The city's name appears for the first time in documents in 1030.

In the Middle Ages, the Abbey of Chardavon had (today in the municipality of Saint - Eulalie ) a church in Volonne, perhaps the Church of St. Martin.

The place was captured, looted and burned during the religious wars.

In 1885 the church was struck by a cholera epidemic, it died 12 children.

Attractions

• Romanesque Church of St- Martin in the 11th century
• A castle from the 17th or 18th century
• A chapel of Saint Jean de Taravon

Structures

Volonne is a former crossing the Durance.

The first suspension bridge was built in 1846 in a private contract and had a wingspan of 99 m and a width of 3.9 m. It was raised to 1857 toll. The bridge was used without extensive modification to 1928 ( with major repairs in the years 1857, 1885, 1886, 1898 and 1918). The bridge was replaced and burned by the Resistance in 1944. In 1949, a third bridge with a length of 102 m and a width of 4.4 m was built, this bridge was replaced in 2006 by a cable-stayed bridge.