The city has many historical monuments, most of which are in Vieux Valence. Monuments in Valence include the Maison des Têtes, built between 15 by Antoine de Dorne, the Saint-Apollinaire Cathedral, built between 10 under the leadership of Bishop Gontard and also the monumental fountain designed by the architect Eugène Poitoux. Formerly the duchy of Valentinois, it was ruled by the Duke of Valentinois, a title which is still claimed by the Sovereign Prince of Monaco, though he has no actual administrative control over the area. The city is historically attached to the Dauphiné, of which it forms the second largest city after Grenoble and is today part of the network of French Towns and Lands of Art and History. Today, many vestiges of the Middle Ages, Renaissance, but also from the 17th century, 18th century and 19th century are visible in the city centre. Over the centuries, the town grew and grew. With its growing importance, Valence gained the status of Roman colony. The commune, founded in 121 BC, after the invasion of Gallia Narbonensis by the Romans, it moved quickly to become the largest crossroad behind Lyon. Its business is essentially turned towards the sectors of agriculture, metallurgy, engineering and electronics. In addition, the Valence agglomeration is equipped with a marina, a trading port, two railway stations ( Valence-Ville and Valence-TGV) and an airport. Axes of transport and communications are the A7 and A49 autoroutes, the RN7, Paris/Marseille TGV line, as well as the Rhône. Between Vercors and Provence, its geographical location attracts many tourists.
![caesar 3 valentia caesar 3 valentia](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/SYuKKVp3KK8/sddefault.jpg)
Located in the heart of the Rhone corridor, Valence is often referred to as "the door to the South of France", the local saying à Valence le Midi commence ("at Valence the Midi begins") pays tribute to the city's southern culture. The city of Valence is divided into four cantons. It is the 8th largest city in the region by its population, with 63,714 registered inhabitants in 2017 (131,695 inhabitants in the urban area ( unité urbaine). It is situated on the left bank of the Rhône, about 100 kilometres (62 mi) south of Lyon, along the railway line that runs from Paris to Marseille. Valence ( US: / v ə ˈ l ɒ̃ s, v æ ˈ l ɒ̃ s/, French: ( listen) Occitan: Valença ) is a commune in southeastern France, the prefecture of the Drôme department and within the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.
![caesar 3 valentia caesar 3 valentia](http://www.geocities.ws/caesar_jan/cities/images/ValentiaVictory.gif)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km 2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.