What is Arles?

Commune of Arles The Roman arena in Arles
Location
Coordinates
Administration
Country	France
Arrondissement	Arles
Canton	Chief town of 2 cantons: Arles-Est and Arles-Ouest
Intercommunality	Agglomeration community of Arles-Crau-Camargue-Montagnette
Mayor	Hervé Schiavetti  (PS) (2001-2008)
Statistics
Altitude	0 m–57 m (avg. 10 m)
Population (2005)	52,600
- Density (2005)	66/km
Miscellaneous
INSEE/Postal code	13004/ 13200
Population sans doubles comptes: single count of residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel).

Arles, Roman and Romanesque Monuments*
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Ruins at the Roman theatre.
State Party	France
Type	Cultural
Criteria	ii, iv
Reference	164
Region	Europe and North America
Inscription History
Inscription	1981  (5th Session)
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. † Region as classified by UNESCO.

Arles (Provençal Occitan: Arle in both classical and Mistralian norms) is a city in the south of France, in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, of which it is 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 amphitheater, triumphal arch, Roman circus, theater and a full circuit of walls. It was closer to the sea than it is now and served as a major port. It also had (and still has) the southernmost bridge on the Rhone. Very unusually, the Roman bridge was not 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 skeptical 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.^[1]

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.

Economy

Arles is the center of a large agricultural area, and other household products as well as clothing are sold at the street market that occurs on the Boulevard des Lices every Saturday.

Relatively important rice paddies and salt pans are located in Camargue.

Main sights

Arles has important remains of Roman times, which have been listed as World Heritage Sites since 1981. They include:

• The Roman theater
• The arena or amphitheater
• The Alyscamps (Roman necropolis)
• The Thermae of Constantine
• The cryptoporticus (currently closed to the public)

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.

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 is not 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

See also

• Archbishopric of Arles
• Montmajour Abbey
• Trinquetaille
• Saint-Martin-de-Crau

Sources and external links

• Tourist office website
• Arles heritage website(in French)
• Town council website (in French)
• Early history
• Musée de l'Arles et de la Provence antiques
• The Complete Works of Van Gogh, Arles
• Photogallery of Arles
• A Few Views of Arles in Old Postcards

References

•  • [ e] World Heritage Sites in France

Abbey Church of Saint-Savin sur Gartempe Amiens Cathedral Roman and Romanesque Monuments, Arles Papal Palace, Episcopal Ensemble and Avignon Bridge, Avignon Belfries of Belgium and France (with ) Bordeaux, Port of the Moon Bourges Cathedral Canal du Midi Gulf of Porto (Calanche of Piana • Gulf of Girolata • Scandola Reserve) Carcassonne Cathedral of Notre-Dame, Former Abbey of Saint-Remi and Palace of Tau, Reims Chartres Cathedral Cistercian Abbey of Fontenay Le Havre Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes Lyon Mont-Saint-Michel and its Bay Fontainebleau Palace and Park Palace and Park of Versailles Paris – Banks of the Seine Place Stanislas, Place de la Carrire and Place d'Alliance, Nancy Pont du Gard Prehistoric Sites and Decorated Caves of the Vzre Valley Provins Pyrnes – Mont Perdu (with ) Routes of Santiago de Compostela Roman Theatre and its Surroundings and the "Triumphal Arch" of Orange Royal Saltworks of Arc-et-Senans Saint-milion Strasbourg – Grande le Vzelay Church and Hill