Everything about Arles totally explained
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This article is about the city in France. For the medieval kingdom see Kingdom of Arles.
Arles (
Provençal Occitan:
Arles in both classical and Mistralian norms) is a
city in the south of
France, in the
Bouches-du-Rhône department, of which it's a
subprefecture, in the former
province of
Provence.
Geography
The
Rhône river forks into two branches just upstream of Arles, forming the
Camargue delta. Because the Camargue is administratively part of Arles, the commune as a whole is the largest
commune in
Metropolitan France in terms of territory, although its population is only slightly more than 50,000. Its area is 758.93 km², which is more than seven times the area of
Paris.
History
» For the Ecclesiastical history see Archbishopric of Arles
Roman Arles
Arles was established by the
Greeks as early as the 6th century BC under the name of
Theline. It was captured by the
Celtic
Salluvii in
535 BC, who renamed it to
Arelate. The
Romans took the town in
123 BC and expanded it into an important city, with a canal link to the
Mediterranean Sea being constructed in
104 BC. However, it struggled to escape the shadow of
Massalia (Marseille) further along the coast.
Its chance came when it sided with
Julius Caesar against
Pompey, providing military support. Massalia backed Pompey; when Caesar emerged victorious, Massalia was stripped of its possessions, which were transferred to Arelate as a reward. The town was formally established as a colony for
veterans of the
Roman legion Legio VI Ferrata, which had its base there. Its full title as a colony was
Colonia Iulia Paterna Arelatensium Sextanorum, "the ancestral Julian colony of Arles of the soldiers of the Sixth."
Importance
Roman Arelate was a city of considerable importance in the province of
Gallia Narbonensis. It covered an area of some 99 acres (400,000 m²) and possessed a wide array of monuments, including
an amphitheatre,
triumphal arch,
Roman circus,
theatre and a full circuit of walls. It was closer to the sea than it's now and served as a major port. It also had (and still has) the southernmost bridge on the Rhone. Very unusually, the Roman bridge wasn't fixed but used a pontoon-style
bridge of boats, with towers and drawbridges at each end. The boats were secured in place with anchors and by being tethered to twin towers built just upstream of the bridge. This unusual design was a way of coping with the river's frequent violent floods, which would have made short work of a conventional bridge. Nothing now remains of the Roman bridge, which has been replaced by a more modern bridge near the same spot.
The city reached a peak of influence during the
4th and
5th centuries, when it was frequently used as headquarters for
Roman Emperors during military campaigns. In 395 it became the seat of the
Praetorian Prefecture of the
Gauls, governing the western part of the Western Empire: Gaul proper plus
Hispania (
Spain) and
Armorica (
Brittany).
It became a favorite city of Emperor
Constantine I, who built
baths there, substantial remains of which are still standing. His son,
Constantine II, was born there.
Usurper Constantine III declared himself emperor in the West (407–411) and made Arles his capital in
408.
Arles became renowned as a cultural and religious centre during the late Roman Empire. It was the birthplace of the sceptical philosopher
Favorinus. It was also a key location for Roman Christianity and an important base for the
Christianization of Gaul. The city's
bishopric was held by a series of outstanding clerics, beginning with
Saint Trophimus around 225 and continuing with Saint Honoré, then
Saint Hilary in the first half of the 5th century. The political tension between the Catholic bishops of Arles and the
Visigothic kings is epitomized in the career of the Frankish St
Caesarius, bishop of Arles 503–542, who was suspected by the
Arian Visigoth
Alaric II of conspiring with the
Burgundians to turn over the Arelate to Burgundy, and was exiled for a year to Bordeaux in Aquitaine, and again in 512 when Arles held out against
Theodoric the Great, Caesarius was imprisoned and sent to
Ravenna to explain his actions before the
Ostrogothic king.
The friction between the Arian Christianity of the
Visigoths and the Catholicism of the bishops sent out from
Rome established deep roots for religious
heterodoxy, even
heresy, in
Occitan culture. At
Treves in 385,
Priscillian achieved the distinction of becoming the first Christian burned alive for
heresy (
Manichaean in his case, see also
Cathars,
Camisards). Despite this tension and the city's decline in the face of
barbarian invasions, Arles remained a great religious centre and host of church councils (see
Council of Arles), the rival of
Vienne, for hundreds of years.
Medieval Arles
Arles was badly affected by the invasion of
Provence by the
Muslim Saracens and the
Franks, who took control of the region in the
8th century. In
855 it was made the capital of a Frankish
Kingdom of Arles, which included
Burgundy and part of Provence, but was frequently terrorised by Saracen and
Viking raiders. In
888, Rodolphe, Count of
Auxerre (now in north-western Burgundy), founded the kingdom of
Bourgogne Transjurane (literally, beyond the Jura mountains), which included western Switzerland as far as the river Reuss,
Valais,
Geneva,
Chablais and
Bugey.
In
933,
Hugh of Arles ("Hugues de Provence") gave his kingdom up to Rodolphe II, who merged the two kingdoms into a new Kingdom of Arles. In
1032, King
Rodolphe III died, and the Kingdom was inherited by Emperor
Conrad II the Salic. Though his successors counted themselves kings of Arles, few went to be crowned in the cathedral. Most of the territory of the Kingdom was progressively incorporated into France. During these troubled times,
the amphitheatre was converted into a fortress, with watchtowers built at each of the four quadrants and a minuscule
walled town being constructed within. The population was by now only a fraction of what it had been in Roman times, with much of old Arles lying in ruins.
The town regained political and economic prominence in the
12th century, with the Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick Barbarossa traveling there in
1178 for his coronation. In the
12th century, it became a free city governed by an elected
podestat (chief magistrate; literally "power"), who appointed the
consuls and other magistrates. It retained this status until the
French Revolution of
1789.
Arles joined the countship of Provence in
1239 but suffered its prominence being eclipsed once more by Marseille. In
1378, the Holy Roman Emperor
Charles IV ceded the remnants of the Kingdom of Arles to the
Dauphin of France (later King
Charles VI of France) and the Kingdom ceased to exist even on paper.
Modern Arles
Arles remained economically important for many years as a major port on the Rhône. The arrival of the railway in the
19th century eventually killed off much of the river trade, leading to the town becoming something of a backwater.
This made it an attractive destination for the painter
Vincent van Gogh, who arrived there on
21 February 1888. He was fascinated by the Provençal landscapes, producing over 300 paintings and drawings during his time in Arles. Many of his most famous paintings were completed there, including
The Night Cafe, the
Yellow Room,
Starry Night Over the Rhone, and
L'Arlésienne.
Paul Gauguin visited van Gogh in Arles. However, van Gogh's mental health deteriorated and he became alarmingly eccentric, culminating in the infamous ear-severing incident in December 1888. The concerned Arlesians circulated a petition the following February demanding that van Gogh be confined. In May 1889 he took the hint and left Arles for the asylum at nearby
Saint-Rémy-de-Provence.
Main sights
Arles has important remains of Roman times, which have been listed as
World Heritage Sites since 1981. They include:
The
Church of St. Trophime (
Saint Trophimus), formerly a
cathedral, is a major work of
Romanesque architecture, and the representation of the
Last Judgment on its portal is considered one of the finest examples of Romanesque sculpture, as are the columns in the adjacent
cloister.
The town also has an outstanding museum of ancient history, the
Musée de l'Arles et de la Provence antiques, with one of the best collections of Roman
sarcophagi to be found anywhere outside Rome itself. Another museum is the
Museon Arlaten. However, perhaps surprisingly given the town's importance to van Gogh, none of his works are on display in Arles.
Archaeology
In 2007, divers trained in archaeology discovered a life-sized marble bust of an aging Julius Caesar in the Rhone River that could be the oldest known. The bust, showing the Roman ruler with wrinkles and hollows in his face, is tentatively dated to 46 B.C. Other artifacts including two small
bronze statues and a huge marble statue of Neptune were found. Researchers are still trying to find out why the objects were in the river and are planning more dives in the Summer of 2008.
Miscellaneous
The
Arlésiens (citizens of Arles) were noted for distinctive traditional dress which is now worn publicly at certain festivals and occasions.
A famous
photography festival takes place in Arles every year, and the French national school of photography is located there. The major French publishing house
Actes Sud is also situated in Arles.
The film
Ronin was partially filmed in Arles.
Bull fights are conducted in the
Roman amphitheater, including Provencal-style bullfights (
courses camarguaises) in which the bull isn't killed but rather a team of athletic men attempt to remove a tassle from the bull's horn without getting injured. Every Easter and on the first weekend of September, Arles also holds Spanish-style
corridas (in which the bulls
are killed) with an
encierro (bull-running in the streets) preceding each fight.
People
The Provençal poet Frédéric Mistral (1830-1914) was born near Arles.
Jeanne Calment (1875-1997), the oldest human being whose age is documented, was born, lived and died in Arles.
Christian Lacroix, fashion designer, was born in Arles.
Current French international soccer star Djibril Cissé was born in Arles.
Genesius of Arles, a notary martyred under Maximianus in 303 or 308.
Juan Bautista, matador.
Mehdi Savalli, matador.
Twin towns
Arles is twinned with:
Pskov, Russia
Jerez de la Frontera, Spain
Fulda, Germany
York, Pennsylvania, USA
Cubelles, Spain
Vercelli, Italy
Sagné, Mauritania
Kalymnos, Greece
Wisbech, United Kingdom
Zhouzhuang, China
Verviers, BelgiumFurther Information
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