With 17,276 inhabitants (2019), Chamalières is the fourth-largest town in the department.[4] It lies adjacent to the west ofClermont-Ferrand and about 241 kilometres (150 mi) fromLyon.
Several thousand woodenGallo-Romanex-votos, most of them anthropomorphic standing figures, also including images of limbs and internal organs, dated by associated coins to the first century, were recovered from the shrine at the mineral springs known as theSource des Roches ("Rock Spring"). An inscribedlead tablet found at the spring is a major source of information on theGaulish language. A comparable cache of Gaulishex-voto were recovered from a sanctuary at the sources of theSeine, sacred toSequana.[5]
Chamalières is the place where theBanque de France located its printing works in 1923, which printed formerFrench franc banknotes, and now printsEuro andCFA franc banknotes.