Association "Sauver Viviers"

Dear friends,

We wish you the very best for 2019. In 2018, we have multiplied our efforts to develop our projects, both for the Italian salon and the Notre-Dame du Rhône chapel. The many interventions with the town hall and the bishopric, owners of the premises allow us to hope the completion of studies prior to restoration work in the next few months. We have already begun the cleaning of the choir of nuns attached to the nave of the chapel and we have noted the exceptional architectural quality of this annex of the chapel. With the help of a heritage architect, we think that this year we will be able to participate in the restoration of this choir. Right now we are preparing the documents that will be needed for our future patronage campaign. So you will understand that we want you to renew in 2019 your membership to the association which has no other resource to ensure communication needs. With our deepest gratitude for your support as generous as possible.

President Roland de Talhouet

Viviers is one of the few small towns in France (4,000 inhabitants) with such a concentration of historic monuments dating back two millennia. Located on the banks of the Rhone, halfway between the major cities of Lyon and Marseille, its rich past until the late eighteenth century gave it the possession of beautiful religious and private buildings.

Unfortunately the last two centuries have experienced a favorable evolution on the other side of the Rhone, to the detriment of the region, because, among other things, of its very close mountainous environment. The means necessary to maintain this prodigious heritage have begun to diminish and we see an urgent need for new resources to restore it.

This is the reason why, with a small highly motivated team, we created an association, law 1901, called "Sauver Viviers" and published a very significant document of 16 pages, to draw attention to what is appropriate to do.

Our goal is to contribute financially to restoration work, by calling on patrons and soliciting certain grants.

Since we want to achieve concrete results as quickly as possible, we have set ourselves achievable goals in the near future, yet important and spectacular. This is the restoration of the Italian-style hall of the former episcopal palace that became a town hall and the beautiful Dominican chapel (Notre-Dame du Rhône) to begin, because other projects will follow.

Our association coexists with other heritage associations in Viviers; these associations are complementary, they do not compete and they maintain a positive cooperation.