Arras-sur-Rhône is a commune in the Ardèche department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of southern France.
The inhabitants of the commune are known as Arrageois or Arrageoises.
Geography
Arras-sur-Rhône is located 2 km south of Saint-Vallier and 2 km north of Vion on the right bank of the Rhône. Access to the commune is by the D86 road from Ozon in the north passing down the length of the commune and through the village continuing south to Vion. The D800 road also goes south from the village crossing the Rhône via the Gervans Hydro-electric Dam to join National Highway N7 on the left bank. The Paris-Lyon-Marseille railway passes through the commune but there is no station. The nearest station is at Tournon-sur-Rhône to the south. The commune is mainly forests in the hills and farmland in the valley and along the Rhône with the village spread along the D86.
The Rhône forms the entire eastern border of the commune with the department of Drôme on the other side. A number of streams rise in the commune and flow down to the Rhône including the Ruisseau de la Tuillere, the Ruisseau de Bachasse, the Ruisseau d'Ozon, the Ruisseau des Marettes, and the Ruisseau de Pizon which forms the southern border of the commune.
Neighbouring communes and villages
Toponymy
The village of Arras is mentioned for the first time in 987 as Villa Aratica. It then appears in various spellings such as: Villa Erattis 1050 Erasio 1271 Ras 1275 Herasium/Heras 1282 Herario 1400 Heyras 1457 Herras 1464 Arrans 1576 Heras 1617 Arras 18th century Arras-sur-Rhône in 1918
The suffix -sur-Rhône was formalized by decree in 1925. Following the establishment of the railway, the name "Arras" was always confused with the city of Arras in the Pas-de-Calais.
Albert Dauzat qualified this name as "obscure".
History
The first known lord of Arras was Sylvion d'Arras: according to a report dating from 1278 this lord owned the fief of tour brune. The village has seen many changes over time with the construction of the dam and the railway which resulted in numerous expropriations of land and the loss of local jobs.
Today the vineyard area of Arras is about 35 hectares against 100 hectares in 1956. In 1969 the Saint-Joseph AOC was established following a renovation plan for the vineyards dating from 1960. However the appellation zone was limited to the heights of the area in 1986. The main culture of the territory before the French Revolution was that of mulberries.
A Roman road passed through the village at the place called impasse de l’Ancienne Voie (Ancient Way cul-de-sac) where there are Milliaria indicating distances in Roman miles (1 mile was equivalent to 1.475 kilometres). Two were still in place and on one of them is the inscription "Millia Passum XXXI" = 31 Roman miles, or 48 kilometres which is the distance between Arras and Vienne but they were moved and sealed into the entrance to the courtyard of the castle museum of Tournon-sur-Rhone in 1939 and can no longer be moved. A main road has always passed through the village which is located on an important route between Lyon and Languedoc: first the Roman road then a royal road followed by an imperial road.
The Watermill
The Watermill was used to grind grain. It was installed in 1877 and was operational until 1943. Until the flour trade was successful, bread was the staple food of the population. A stone dam was built on the Ozon to retain water (at a place called la Levée) over a canal 200 metres wide with an iron wheel measuring 6m in diameter with which the fall of Water could drive a geared system. A valve system was used to regulate the flow rate. In 1935 the wheel was replaced by cylindrical machines and a diesel engine was also installed to ensure production even in times of low water. After World War II, the growing of wheat decreased and new modern mills were built.
The railway
The Paris-Lyon-Marseille line was built between 1848 and 1853. In 1879 two train stations were built: Vion and Sarras. It was not until 1897 that Arras station opened together with a line between Sécheras and Ozon. Today there is the Café de la halt on the location of the old station. There is also the inscription: ici on loge à pied ou à cheval (here one goes on foot or by horse) which is the location of the former postal relay. During the height of the station, 5-7 tons of fruit were transported by rail to Paris. In 1974 the station was destroyed following the construction of the dam. In 1978 the route was electrified in order to clear the left bank. The bridge over the river was built in 1876.