Valence Cathedral was originally dedicated to Saints Pope Cornelius and Cyprian (third-century martyrs, respectively Bishops of Rome and of Carthage).

In 1095 during a visit to France, Pope Urban II rededicated the cathedral to Saint Apollinaris, one of Valence's sixth-century bishops.

[1] The architecture of this cathedral is similar to other monuments in Auvergne and Velay, in particular the polychrome stone decorations.

[3] It suffered extensive damage in the French Wars of Religion, but it was restored in the first decade of the 17th century.

[4] Pope Pius VI, who had been taken prisoner and deported from Italy by troops of the French Directory, was imprisoned in the fortress of Valence.