43°41N 4°38E, pop (2000e) 55 000. Old town in Bouches-du-Rhône department, SE France; 72 km/45 mi NE of Marseille, at head of the Rhône delta; capital of Gaul, 4th-c; formerly an important crossroads and capital of Provence; railway; boatbuilding, metalwork, foodstuffs, hats; Roman remains, including a huge arena and theatre (a world heritage site), 11th-c cathedral; associations with van Gogh and Gauguin; several art museums.
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Commune of Arles The Roman arena in Arles |
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| Location | ||
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| Coordinates | 43°40′41″N, 04°37′46″E | |
| Administration | ||
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| Country | France | |
| Région | Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur | |
| Département |
Bouches-du-Rhône (sous-préfecture) |
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| Arrondissement | Arles | |
| Canton | Chief town of 2 cantons: Arles-Est and Arles-Ouest | |
| Intercommunality | Communauté d'agglomération Arles-Crau-Camargue-Montagnette | |
| Mayor |
Hervé Schiavetti (PS) (2001-2008) |
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| Statistics | ||
| Altitude |
0 m–57 m (avg. 10 m) |
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| Land area¹ | 758.93 km² | |
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Population² (2005) |
52,600 | |
| - Density (2005) | 66/km² | |
| Miscellaneous | ||
| INSEE/Postal code | 13004/ 13200 | |
| ¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > | ||
Arles (Provençal Occitan: Arle in both classical and Mistralian norms) is a city in the south of France, in the Bouches-du-Rhône département, of which it is a sous-préfecture, 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 France in terms of territory, although its population is only slightly more than 50,000.
History
Roman Arles
Arles is an ancient town, having been established by the Greeks as early as the 6th century BC under the name of Theline. Its full title as a colony was Colonia Iulia Paterna Arelatensium Sextanorum, "the ancestral Julian colony of Arles of the soldiers of the Sixth." 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.
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 Ostrogoth Wace, Dictionary). 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 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. Though his successors counted themselves kings of Arles, few went to be crowned in the cathedral. The population was by now only a fraction of what it had been in Roman times, with much of old Arles lying in ruins.
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. He was fascinated by the Provençal landscapes, producing over 300 paintings and drawings during his time in Arles. Paul Gauguin visited van Gogh in Arles. 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.
Main sights
Arles has important remains of Roman times, which have been listed as World Heritage Sites since 1981.
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. 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 filmed partially in Arles. Every Easter, Arles also holds a Spanish-style corrida (in which the bull is 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.Twin towns
Arles is twinned with:
- Pskov, Russia - Jerez de la Frontera, Spain - Fulda, Germany - York, Pennsylvania, United States of America - Cubelles, SpainSources and external links
This article incorporates text from the public-domain Catholic Encyclopedia, so may be out of date, or reflect the point of view of the Catholic Church as of 1913. It should be edited to reflect broader and more recent perspectives. Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Arles 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 Street map of Arles World Heritage Sites in France| Abbey Church of Saint-Savin sur Gartempe | Arles, Roman and Romanesque Monuments | |
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