First thing this morning was to ring granddaughter Sophie to wish her a happy 5th birthday! Then off to the nearby Avignon Gare Centrale (railway station) for the quick trip to Arles, a town of about 52,000 people just 35km from Avignon, and packed with early Roman history.
Our first
stop was at the UNESCO-listed 12th century Saint Trophime Cloisters,
set around an open square with sunlight streaming in. Sculptures all round, especially at each of
the four corners, venerating the saints and telling biblical stories. We had
the place to ourselves so were able to absorb the quiet, peaceful
atmosphere. At one stage the courtyard
was used as a cemetery and archaeologists have found evidence of yet another
building, of unknown origin at this stage, below that.
The
adjacent Saint Trophime church, built between the 12th and 15th
centuries, was built upon the site of the 5th century basilica of
Arles. This church is well known for the
impressive tapestries, probably a dozen in all, that adorn the high walls
leading up to its 20 metre high vaulted ceiling .
Just a
short walk to the amphitheatre, again
more accurately described as a colosseum, constructed in the 1st century CE. Not quite as intact as the one we visited in
Nimes but nonetheless it was wonderful
to sit in the stands (with a 20,000 spectator capacity) and imagine the gladiatorial
combat and chariot races. From there we
wandered next door to the Ancient Theatre (perhaps more accurately described as
an amphitheatre), built at the end of the 1st century BCE during the
reign of Caesar Augustus. It has a
seating capacity of 10,000 and as we sat in the bleachers looking out on the
semi-circular stage it was easy to imagine a troupe of actors delivering the
Iliad or some other Greek tragedy, or perhaps a pantomime.
After
morning tea of cheesecake and flan to celebrate Sophie’s birthday (that’s our
excuse anyway) we visited the Cryptoporticus, beneath the Hotel de Ville (town
hall), a semi-subterranean structure dating back to the 1st century
BCE. It is a series of long underground
chambers that formed a rectangle (three of the four, forming a block “U” shape
are extant) and were the actual Forum, the official meeting place for the town
of Arles. The chambers are 90 metres long by 60 metres wide and it was an
amazing experience to actually stand at a corner, look down 90 metres in one direction
and 60 metres in the other direction, with no distractions, and get a real feel
for the enormity of the forum structure that stood here more than 2,000 years
ago. A truly awesome experience.
We
continued walking though the narrow streets and laneways, taking it all in,
then stopped briefly for lunch. Then off
to the Museum of Reattie, a mainly-modern art museum where we wandered through
the many rooms with collections of more traditional art works as well as more
modern stuff, impressed by some, bemused by others. There were a few Picasso pencil, watercolour and
oil works, including one that was actually recognizable as a portrait of an old
lady.
Then next
door to the remains of the baths built along the edge of the Rhône by Emperor Constantine in the 4th century. The Romans loved building baths; by the end
of the empire there were over 1,000 baths buildings spread across the empire. Bathing for the Romans was almost
ritualistic; men and women (separated, except for family groups) would go into
the baths complex, naked, and go through a circuit of dry sweating, thermal
bathing and finally the cold pool. Baths
were open to everybody regardless of wealth or standing and, although a small
fee was asked, nobody was excluded for want of payment. The baths were a popular meeting place.
Our final
visit for the day was to l’Espace Van Gogh, a hospital where Vincent stayed at
the end of the 19th century (after slicing off some of his left
ear). He represented this place in
several of his paintings, including one of the central courtyard outside his
hospital room.
Back to the
station for the short trip home. A truly
memorable day.
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