Romans-sur-Isère

▪ France

      town, Drôme département, Rhône-Alpes région, southeastern France. It lies along the north bank of the Isère River, northeast of Valence. Founded in the 9th century, Romans-sur-Isère was the scene of the transfer of Dauphiné to France by the dauphin Humbert II (1349) and of the last meeting of the Estates of Dauphiné (December 1788), on the eve of the French Revolution. Its 12th-century Romanesque church of Saint-Barnard, damaged during World War II, has a 14th-century Gothic chapel with Flemish tapestries. The town is the site of an atomic research centre producing nuclear fuel. Automobile equipment is manufactured, and there is a traditional leather industry. Pop. (1999) 32,667; (2005 est.) 33,700.

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