The name itself derived from an earlierProto-Celtic *far-aws(y)o-, which literally means 'in front of the ear' (cf. Old Irishara,arae; Ancient Greekpareiaí,parauai < *par-ausiā). This became theGaulishar-aus(i)o- ('temple, cheek').[4][5] It iscognate with the name of other ancient settlements, includingArausa,Arausia,Arausona (Dalmatia) and the nearbyOraison (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence).[4]
The settlement is attested in Latin asArausio in the first centuryCE, asArausion in the second century, ascivitas Arausione in the fourth century, ascivitas Arausicae in 517 (via a Germanized form *Arausinga), asAurengia civitatis in 1136, and, finally, asOrenga in 1205.[6][4]
Roman Orange was founded in 35 BC by veterans of thesecond legion[7] asArausio (after the localCeltic water god), orColonia Julia Firma Secundanorum Arausio in full, "theJulian colony of Arausio established by the soldiers of the second legion." The name was originally unrelated to that of theorange fruit, but was laterconflated with it.
A previous Celtic settlement with that name existed in the same place; a major battle, which is generally known as theBattle of Arausio, had been fought in 105 BC between twoRoman armies and theCimbri andTeutones tribes.
Arausio covered an area of some 70 ha (170 acres) and was well-endowed with civic monuments; in addition to the theatre and arch, it had a monumental temple complex and aforum.
It was the capital of a wide area of northernProvence, which was parcelled up into lots for the Roman colonists. "Orange of two thousand years ago was a miniature Rome, complete with many of the public buildings that would have been familiar to a citizen of the Roman Empire, except that the scale of the buildings had been reduced – a smaller theater to accommodate a smaller population, for example."[8] It is found in both theTabula Peutingeriana andLe cadastre d'Orange maps.
The sovereignCarolingiancounts of Orange had their origin in the eighth century; they passed into the family of thelords of Baux. From the 12th century, Orange was raised to a minor principality, thePrincipality of Orange, as afief of theHoly Roman Empire. During this period, the town and the principality of Orange belonged to the administration and province ofDauphiné.
Artist's impression of 17th century city and its citadel, by G. Trouillet.
WhenWilliam the Silent, count ofNassau, with estates in the Netherlands, inherited the title Prince of Orange in 1544, the principality was incorporated into the holdings of what became theHouse of Orange-Nassau. This pitched it into theProtestant side in theWars of Religion, during which the town was badly damaged. In 1568, theEighty Years' War began with William asstadtholder leading the bid for independence from Spain. William the Silent was assassinated inDelft in 1584. His son,Maurice of Nassau (Prince of Orange after his elder brother died in 1618), with the help ofJohan van Oldenbarnevelt, solidified the independence of the Dutch republic. TheUnited Provinces survived to become the Netherlands, which is still ruled by the House of Orange-Nassau. William, Prince of Orange, great grandson of William the Silent, ruled England asWilliam III. Orange gave its name to other Dutch-influenced parts of the world, such as the Oranges (West Orange,South Orange,East Orange,Orange) in New Jersey and theOrange Free State inSouth Africa.
The city remained part of scattered Nassau holdings until it was repeatedly captured by the forces ofLouis XIV during his wars of the late 17th century. The city was occupied by France in 1673, 1679, 1690, 1697 and 1702–1713 before it was finally ceded to France in 1713 under theTreaty of Utrecht.[10] Following theFrench Revolution in 1789, Orange was absorbed into the French department ofDrôme, thenBouches-du-Rhône, then finallyVaucluse. However, the title remained with the Dutch princes of Orange.
The town is renowned for itsRoman architecture; itsRoman theatre is described as the most impressive still existing in Europe. TheTriumphal Arch is of uncertain age, but current research accepts the inscription as evidence of a date during the reign of emperorAugustus. The arch also contains an inscription dedicated to emperorTiberius in AD 27, when it was reconstructed to celebrate the victories ofGermanicus over the German tribes in the Rhineland. The arch, theatre, and surroundings were listed in 1981 byUNESCO as aWorld Heritage Site.[16]
TheMusée (Museum) displays the biggest (7.56 x 5.90 m)cadastral Roman maps ever recovered, etched on marble. They cover the area between Orange,Nîmes, andMontélimar.
In 1869, the Roman theatre was restored and has been the site of a music festival. The festival, given the nameChorégies d'Orange in 1902, has been held annually ever since, and is now famous as an internationalopera festival.
Orange features ahumid subtropical climate (Cfa), with just too much rainfall in summer to have a 'Mediterranean' (Csa) classification. Summers are hot and relatively dry. Most rainfall occurs in spring and autumn, though with gentle temperatures. Winters are mild, but harsh frost and snow are not unheard of.[19] On 28 June 2019 the temperature reached 41.0 °C.[20][21]
Climate data for Orange, Vaucluse (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1952–present)
^abcDelamarre, Xavier (2003).Dictionnaire de la langue gauloise: Une approche linguistique du vieux-celtique continental. Errance. p. 51.ISBN9782877723695.
^Office de Tourisme d'Orange (2017-10-02)."History of Orange".City of Orange Tourist Office site. Archived fromthe original on 2020-02-08. Retrieved2022-05-02.
^Ina Caro, "The Road from the Past: Traveling through History in France".
^Annuario Pontificio 2013 (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2013ISBN978-88-209-9070-1), p. 845
^Cru, Jacques (2001).Histoire des Gorges du Verdon jusqu'à la Révolution (in French). Edisud. p. 220.ISBN2-7449-0139-3. coédition Édisud et Parc naturel régional du Verdon.
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