 Lady_Mystique's Arles Travelogues | | | |
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| Page Views: 465 Last Visit to Arles: - | History of Arles by Lady_Mystique - last update: Apr 3, 2005 |
The 'Rome of France' | Roman statue at Théâtre Antique |
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Like Nîmes, Arles has enough intact antiquities to call itself the 'Rome of France';
unlike Nîmes, it lingered in the post-Roman limelight for another thousand years,
producing enough saints for every month of the calendar ---
Trophimus, Hilarius, Césaire, and Genès are some of the more famous.
Pilgrims flocked here for a whiff of their odour of sanctity, and asked on their deathbeds
to be buried on the holy ground of the Alyscamps.
Nowadays, Arles holds the distinction of being the largest commune in France, ten times larger than Paris,
embracing 750 square kilometers of the Camargue and Crau plains;
it has given the world the rhythms of the Gypsy Kings, and the pungent joys of saucissons d'Arles,
France's finest donkey-meat sausage (which I've never tried myself..and can't say I'd really want to!).
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Henry James wrote: "As a city Arles quite misses its effect in every way; and if it is a charming place, as I think it is, I can hardly tell the reason why."
Modern Arles, sitting amidst its ruins, is still somehow charming, in spite of its general scruffiness that seems almost more intentional than natural.
For all the tourists it gets, no town could seem less touristy (which is exactly the reason it appeals to me!).
A noxious paper mill across the Rhône wafts its stink over the comfortably down-at-the-heel old quarters, while grass grows up between the pavement cracks around the Roman ruins and medieval palaces.
Jeanne Calment, born here in 1875, who met Van Gogh as a young girl, and who was, for a long time the oldest person in the world, died in 1997.
The city's pride in her longevity continues, and the way to her grave is clearly marked in the cemetary at Trinquetaille.
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| Portrait of Octavian: from Forum - Arles. 39 BC |
In 1975 the remains of a Celto-Ligurian settlement were uncovered near the Boulevard des Lices.
It's hard to imagine what its builders thought in the 6th century BC when Greek traders from Marseille arrived and began to haggle over prices. We know at least that the Greeks were pleased, and over the years they established the site as their principal 'counter' for dealings with the Ligurians, calling it Arelate ('near sleeping waters', or less poetically, 'bog town').
Business picked up considerably after Marius' legionaries made Arelate a seaport by digging a canal to Fos.
In 49 BC the populace, tired of getting bum deals from the wily Greeks, readily gave Caesar the boats he needed to punish and conquer Marseille for siding with Pompey.
In return Arles was rewarded the spoils and received a population boost with a colony of veterans from the Sixth Legion.
Most important, it got all the business that had previously gone through Greek Marseille.
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| Grand Bath built by Constantine |
At the crossroads of Rome's trading route between Spain and Italy, Arles grew rapidly, each century adding more splendid monuments ---
a theatre, temples, a circus, an amphitheatre, at least two triumphal arches and a basilica.
Constantine built himself a grand palace and baths as big as Caracalla's in Rome.
In 394 AD, Emperor Honorius made Arles the capital of the 'Three Gauls' ---
France, Britain, and Spain.
And, as late as 418 it was recorded that " Arles is so fortunately placed, its commerce is so active and merchants come in such numbers that all the products of the universe are chanelled there; the riches of the Orient, perfumes of Arabia, delicacies of Assyria....."
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| Entrance Cathedral St. Trophime |
For Arles, the Dark Ages were not so dark: from 879 to 1036 it served as the capital of Provence-Burgundy (the so-called 'Kingdom of Arles'), a vast territory that stretched all the way to Lorraine.
Most importantly, Arles was a centre of power for Christianity.
Several major Church councils convened here.
Arles' Cathedral of St.-Trophime became the most important church in Provence.
After a busy career in the 11th and 12th centuries as a Crusader port and pilgrimage destination, the city's special history ended in 1239 when the Count of Provence evicted Arles' imperial viceroy.
As the city declined even the sea abandoned it, leaving the former port stranded between marshes and the rocky plain of the Crau, compressed in a time capsule of Roman monuments and ancient customs.
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With the improved communications of the 19th century, Arles slowly resurfaced.
The Roman Amphitheatre was restored. The city's women, celebrated for their beautiful Attic features, inspired Daudet's story L'Arlésienne (1866) and Bizet's opera (1872).
Its furniture makers invented what has become the traditional south Provençal style, more elegantly rococo than the heavy pieces of northern Provence.
The Félibres made much of the city for the striking costumes the women continued to wear, for its bullfights and for its farandole, a dance in 6/4 time dating back at least to the Middle Ages. |
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 Comments for Lady_Mystique about Arles | | | | |
BohemiaViajera Mon Nov 10, 2008 22:08 UTC
The Cafe Van Gogh in Arles is nice to take a picture or two, but for all means, don't eat there...carrots's salad from a can? One of the worst food in France and Europe...or even my life, really, really bad. | jmokhlis Sun Aug 31, 2008 10:28 UTC
Your tip sounds suspiciously similar to the one in the Rough Guide to France 2007. Helpful anyway. Ta! | Jim_Eliason Sun May 4, 2008 22:57 UTC
Great tips! | RBLT Tue Apr 29, 2008 18:32 UTC
Are there scheduled bullfights June 23 - 26? If so, is it necessary to buy tickets in advance? Thanks you, Rick L. |
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