CLERMONT-FERRAND CIVITAS

Clermont-Ferrand has been selected by Roberto Amati in relation to the real history of european integration, then enlisted in the CITY OR CIVITAS category, accompanied by own fact SHEET useful to the comprehension, completed of historical MAPS AND IMAGES or with a direct linking to the related Blog contents dedicated to the the aeternitas and the future of Europe.

Clermont-Ferrand is one of the most ancient cities of the history of European integration, signed in great part by Christianity. It was founded lots of centuries before Christ near the Loira river and the Massif Central by the Celts Arvernie tribe, already known as their capital by the ancient Greeks, before to be conquered by Romans led by Julius Caesar in I century B.C.. They established a castra on the mount where today is situated the cathedral, overlooking the capital of local people, naming it Augustonemetum in honour to the Princeps Augustus: outside it developed the Civitas Clermont-Ferrand within the Roman Respublica, successively called by locals 'Clermont-Ferrand twins'.

Within the reform of the Roman Empire, Clermont-Ferrand was part of the Aquitania province as a strategic point of connection with the others provinces, through the roman way Flavia III coming from Lyon, passing through Limoges and ending in the ancient roman civitas of Saintes on the Atlantic ocean coast. With the reform of Constantine I (see Christian Empire), Clermont-Ferrand became the seat of an imperial bishopric included in the Septem Provinciae diocesis. At the falling of Western Roman Empire, the citizens built the Clermont-Ferrand cathedral but after frequent attacks by barbarians was finally included in the Regna Visigothorum, before to be conquered by Franks and hold a church council of the french bishops in 535 A.D.. After that, the Clermont-Ferrand bishop imponed to Jewish the Christianity creed established in Nicea in 325 A.D..

Often terrorised by Saracens, in 848 A.D. the city was named Clairmont when the castle of Clarus Mons gave its name to the whole area including the small episcopal town of Montferrand: destroyed and reconstructed many times after the Vikings raids during the X century A.D., Clermont-Ferrand became a bishopric city under the rule of the Aquitania Duchy receiving the titleof 'royal city' assigned with special privileges by the Capetingian dinasty of the France Kingdom, following its destiny. In 1095 A.D. in Clermont-Ferrand was held the council that called the First Crusade to free Jerusalem conquered by Arabs, while in 1571 A.D. was founded the city University.

Today 'the Chaîne des Puys tectonic hotspot of Clermont-Ferrand' is enlisted in the UNESCO World Heritage List, thanks to the dormant volcanoes area surrounding the city. Clermont-Ferrand is a medium size town in the centre of France, within the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, whose patron is Saint Namathius first bishop of the city Christian community.

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