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V ich

and its thermes

Historical and cultural town

nown as the 'Queen of Spas" to exploit the
Vichy is situated in the vol- springs' the-
K canic region of Auvergne in rapeutic pro-
central France, and is renowned as perties as is
a leading site of thermalism or "spa" evidenced by
from the Latin expression 'Sanitas mention
of
Per Aqua'. With a number of thermal 'Acquis Cali-
spa water springs, Vichy has deve- dis' (hot wa-
loped an expertise in the treatment ters), the name
of many disorders through the use given to what
of its thermal waters. Since the nine- is now Vichy,
teenth century they have received in a medieval transcript of a planis- century there were two hospitals in
official recognition by the French phere of the world of ancient Rome. Vichy, one devoted to civil invalids
Academy of Medicine for therapeu- The River Allier was an important and the other reserved for officers
tic qualities in the treatment of many commercial thoroughfare which in and soldiers of the French army,
complaints including rheumatic and the fifteenth century saw the esta- under the direction of military phy-
digestive problems, obesity and me- blishment of a very active guild of sicians, approved by the War Office
tabolic disorders. Vichy's reputation watermen. in need of Vichy waters.
spread and attracted the rich and
famous, mainly from England and From a small medieval fortified town Vichy's Old Church was originally
America, who occupied its elegant and its castle, the major periods the castle chapel of the Dukes of
mansions and luxury hotels on the during which Vichy was progres- Bourbon dedicated to St. Blaise in
Grand Thermal Tour. sively developed and embellished 1741. Its adjoining New Church built
were the Renaissance, the Grand between 1925 and 1937 is rich in
During the Second World War Siècle, the Second Empire and the early art deco style. A statue of the
Vichy became the seat of the French Belle Epoque. The Opera Museum 'black madonna' is venerated as Our
government (1940-44) of Marshal of Vichy has a current exhibition Lady of the Sick. The Old Church
Pétain. Forced to leave Paris and displaying many illustrations, docu- and its statue suffered during the
subsequently Bordeaux because of ments, photographs and costumes of Revolution when the burnt head
the German occupation, it settled in 'La Belle Epoque a Vichy 1901-1914'. was saved. It is now the Church of
Vichy. The town was chosen because Saint-Blaise and Notre-Dame-des-
of the large amount of hotel accom- Vichy thermes or natural spring Malades.
modation and the existence of a waters acquired a quasi-miraculous
modern telephone exchange. reputation attracting the patronage It was Napoleon III (1808-1873)
of celebrities such as Madame de who instigated the major develop-
Sévigné (1626-1696) who, in her ment of Vichy. In 1852 he decided to
Vichy famous letters, wrote about being raise the town to a modern thermal
cured from rheumatism. Others resort providing a sumptuous park
and its thermes were Victoire and Adelaide, daugh- along the River Allier and building a
ters of Louis XV, the Duchess of An- casino, shops, chalets and a railway
From the Gallo-Roman era, pres- goulème or the mother of Napoleon station. The boom years were from
ence of the springs and a ford over I. He had been in Vichy as a young 1861 with five visits by Napoleon III
the River Allier prompted the Gallo- officer in the French army witnessed and his large retinue.
Romans to settle near a bridge which by his signature on local documents
Julius Caesar had probably taken on but never returned during his period Isaac Strauss (18o6-1888), conduc-
his return from the siege of Gergo- of glory. In the proximity of the tor of the Paris Opera House and
via des Avernes. They were the first Source de l'Hopital in the eighteenth the Imperial court balls, lived in the

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