This article is about the city in France. For the medieval kingdom, seeKingdom of Arles. For the village in Ireland, seeArless. For the village in England, seeArle, Gloucestershire.
Subprefecture and commune in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
A large part of theCamargue, the largest wetlands in France, is located within the territory of the commune, which is thelargest inMetropolitan France in terms of geographic territory. In non-metropolitan France,Maripasoula inFrench Guiana is the largest French commune in general.
The city is famous for being the archdiocese ofCaesarius of Arles andHilary of Arles. Additionally, many artists have lived and worked in this area, includingPablo Picasso,Paul Gauguin andJacques Réattu.[8] The Dutchpost-Impressionist painterVincent van Gogh lived in Arles from 1888 to 1889, and produced over 300 paintings and drawings during his time there. These are held in internationally known museums and private collections around the world. An international photography festival has been held annually in the city since 1970.
The settlement is attested asArelate in the mid-1st century BC (Caesar),Areláte (Ἀρελάτε) in the early 1st c. AD (Strabo),Arlate civitas in 954, andArle in the 13th century.[9] ThetoponymArelate is a Latinized form of theGaulish *Arelati, meaning 'by the marsh', or 'in front of the marsh'.[10]
The riverRhône forks into two branches just upstream of Arles, forming theCamargue delta. Because the Camargue is for a large part administratively part of Arles, the commune as a whole is the largestcommune inMetropolitan France in terms of territory. But its population numbers only slightly more than 50,000. Its area is 758.93 km2 (293.02 sq mi), which is more than seven times the area ofParis.
In addition to the city proper in the north of the territory, the commune of Arles includes a number of outlying towns and hamlets, including Albaron, Gageron, Mas-Thibert, Moulès,Pont-de-Crau, Raphèle-lès-Arles, Saliers,Salin-de-Giraud and Le Sambuc.
TheLigurians were in this area from about 800 BC. LaterCeltic influences have also been discovered. The city became an importantPhoenician trading port, before it was taken over by theRomans.
The Romans took the town in 123 BC and expanded it into an important city. They built a canal link to theMediterranean Sea in 104 BC. Arles had to compete withMassalia (Marseille) further along the coast.
Arles' leaders sided withJulius Caesar againstPompey, 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 theRoman legionLegio VIFerrata, which had its base there. Its full title as a colony wasColonia Iulia Paterna Arelatensium Sextanorum, "the ancestral Julian colony of Arles of the soldiers of the Sixth."
Arelate was a city of considerable importance in the province ofGallia Narbonensis. It covered an area of some 40 hectares (99 acres) and possessed a number of monuments, includingan amphitheatre,triumphal arch,Roman circus,theatre, and a full circuit of walls. Ancient Arles was closer to the sea than it is now and served as a major port. The river has carried centuries of silt that has filled in the former harbor. The city had (and still has) the southernmost bridge on the Rhône.
The recently discovered republican House of the Harpist is an exceptional example of ancient architecture and interior decoration. Dating from 70-50 BC, it has yielded elaborate frescoes.[11]
The Roman bridge was unique in that it was not fixed but consisted of a pontoon-stylebridge of boats, with towers and drawbridges at each end. The boats were secured in place by anchors and were 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 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, whenRoman Emperors frequently used it as their headquarters during military campaigns in Europe. In 395, it became the seat of thePraetorian Prefecture of theGauls, governing the western part of the Western Empire: Gaul proper plusHispania (Spain) andArmorica (Brittany). At that time, the city was home to an estimated 75,000–100,000 people.[12][13][14][15]
It became a favorite city of EmperorConstantine I, who builtbaths there, substantial remains of which are still standing. His son,Constantine II, was born in Arles.UsurperConstantine 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 ofFavorinus, known as the sceptical philosopher. It was also a key location for Roman Christianity and an important base for theChristianization of Gaul. Thecity's bishopric was held by a series of outstanding clerics, beginning withSaint Trophimus around 225 and continuing with SaintHonoratus, then SaintHilarius in the first half of the 5th century. The political tension between the Catholic bishops of Arles and theVisigothic kings is epitomized in the career of the Frankish St.Caesarius, bishop of Arles 503–542. Suspected by theArian VisigothAlaric II of conspiring with theBurgundians to turn over the Arelate to Burgundy, he was exiled for a year to Bordeaux in Aquitaine. Political tensions were evident again in 512, when Arles held out againstTheodoric the Great. Caesarius was imprisoned and sent toRavenna to explain his actions before theOstrogothic king.[16]
The friction between the Arian Christianity of theVisigoths and the Catholicism of the bishops sent out from Rome established deep roots for religiousheterodoxy, evenheresy, inOccitan culture. AtTreves in 385,Priscillian achieved the distinction of becoming the first Christian executed forheresy (Manichaean in his case, see alsoCathars,Camisards). Despite this tension and the city's decline in the face ofbarbarian invasions, Arles remained a great religious centre. It hosted church councils (seeCouncil of Arles), the rival ofVienne, for hundreds of years.
TheBarbegal aqueduct and mill is aRoman watermill complex located on the territory of the commune ofFontvieille, a few kilometres from Arles. The complex has been referred to as "the greatest known concentration of mechanical power in theancient world".[17] The remains of the mill streams and buildings which housed the overshotwater wheels are still visible at the site, and it is by far the best-preserved of ancient mills. There are two aqueducts which join just north of the mill complex, and a sluice which enabled the operators to control the water supply to the complex. The mill consisted of 16 water wheels in two separate rows built into a steep hillside. There are substantial masonry remains of the water channels and foundations of the individual mills, together with a staircase rising up the hill upon which the mills are built. The mills apparently operated from the end of the 1st century until about the end of the 3rd century.[18] The capacity of the mills has been estimated at 4.5 tons offlour per day, sufficient to supply enough bread for 12,000 of the 30,000–40,000 inhabitants of Arelate at that time.[19] A similar mill complex existed also on theJaniculum inRome. Examination of themill leat still just visible on one side of the hill shows a substantial accretion of lime in the channel, tending to confirm its long working life.
It is thought that the wheels were overshot water wheels with the outflow from the top driving the next one down and so on, to the base of the hill. Vertical water mills were well known to the Romans, being described byVitruvius in hisDe Architectura of 25 BC, and mentioned byPliny the Elder in hisNatural History of 77 AD. There are also later references to floating water mills fromByzantium and tosawmills on the riverMoselle by the poetAusonius. The use of multiple stacked sequences ofreverse overshot water wheels was widespread in Roman mines.
In 735, after raiding the Lower Rhône,AndalusianSaracens led byYusuf ibn 'Abd al-Rahman al-Fihri moved into the stronghold summoned by CountMaurontus, who fearedCharles Martel's expansionist ambitions, though this may have been an excuse to further Muslim expansion beyond Iberia. The next year, Charles campaigned south to Septimania and Provence, attacking and capturing Arles from theMuslimArabs after destroying Avignon. In 739. Charles definitely drove Maurontus to exile, and broughtProvence to heel. Louis the Pious, in 829, placed Arles under royal protection and assigned it with special privileges.[20] In 855, it was made the capital of a FrankishKingdom of Burgundy, which includedBurgundy and part of Provence, but was frequently terrorised by Saracen andViking raiders. In 888, Rudolph, Count ofAuxerre (now in north-western Burgundy), founded the kingdom ofTransjuran Burgundy (literally, beyond the Jura mountains), which included western Switzerland as far as the river Reuss,Valais,Geneva,Chablais andBugey.
In 933,Hugh of Arles ("Hugues de Provence") gave his kingdom up to Rudolph II, who merged the two kingdoms into a newKingdom of Burgundy-Arles. In 1032, KingRudolph III died, and the kingdom was inherited by EmperorConrad II the Salic. Though his successors counted themselves kings of Arles, few went to be crowned in the cathedral. Most of the kingdom's territory 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 minusculewalled 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 EmperorFrederick Barbarossa traveling there in 1178 for his coronation. In the 12th century, it became a free city governed by an electedpodestat (chief magistrate; literally "power"), who appointed theconsuls and other magistrates. It retained this status until theFrench Revolution of 1789.
Arles joined the countship of Provence in 1239, but, once more, its prominence was eclipsed by Marseilles. In 1378, the Holy Roman EmperorCharles IV made theDauphin of France (later KingCharles VI of France) vicar of the moribundKingdom of Burgundy-Arles for his lifetime. The kingdom ceased to have any political existence soon afterwards.
Arles remained economically important for many years as a major port on the Rhône. TheHôtel de Ville was completed in 1676.[21]
In the 19th century, the establishment of railways diminished river trade, leading to the city declining in prominence. This made it a 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, includingThe Night Cafe, theYellow Room,Starry Night Over the Rhone, andL'Arlésienne.Paul Gauguin visited van Gogh in Arles. However, van Gogh's mental health deteriorated and he became alarmingly eccentric, culminating in the ear-severing incident in December 1888 which resulted in two stays in theOld Hospital of Arles. The concerned Arlesians circulated a petition the following February demanding that van Gogh be confined. In May 1889, he voluntarily left Arles for theSaint-Paul asylum at nearbySaint-Rémy-de-Provence.
Arles had an important and prominent Jewish community between the Roman era and the end of the 15th century. A local legend describes the first Jews in Arles as exiles fromJudaea afterJerusalem fell to the Romans. Nevertheless, the first documented evidence of Jews in Arles is not before the fifth century, when a distinguished community already existed in the town. Arles was an important Jewish crossroads, as a port city and close toSpain and the rest of Europe alike. It served a major role in the work of theHachmei Provence group of famous Jewish scholars, translators and philosophers, who were most important to Judaism throughout the Middle Ages. In the eighth century, jurisdiction over the Jews of Arles was passed to the local Archbishop, making the Jewish taxes to the clergy somewhat of a shield for the community from mob attacks, most frequent during theCrusades. The community lived relatively peacefully until the last decade of the 15th century, when they were expelled out of the city never to return. Several Jews did live in the city in the centuries after, though no community was found ever after. Nowadays, Jewish archaeological findings and texts from Arles can be found in the local museum.[22]
Arles has ahot summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen:Csa)[23] with a mean annual temperature of 14.6 °C (1948–1999). The summers are warm and moderately dry, with seasonal averages between 22 °C and 24 °C, and cool to mild winters with a mean temperature of about 7 °C. The city is constantly, but especially in the winter months, subject to the influence of themistral, a cold wind which can cause sudden and severe frosts. Rainfall (636 mm per year) is fairly evenly distributed from September to May, with the summer drought being less marked than in other Mediterranean areas.[24]
Climate data for Arles (1991–2020 averages, extremes 1963–present)
The population data in the table and graph below refer to the commune of Arles proper, in its geography at the given years. The commune of Arles ceded part of its territory to the new commune ofPort-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône in 1904, and to the new commune ofSaint-Martin-de-Crau in 1925.[26]
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. Updates on reimplementing the Graph extension, which will be known as the Chart extension, can be found onPhabricator and onMediaWiki.org.
The courtyard of the Old Arles hospital, now named "Espace Van Gogh," is a center for Vincent van Gogh's works, several of which are masterpieces.[28] The garden, framed on all four sides by buildings of the complex, is approached through arcades on the first floor. A circulation gallery is located on the first and second floors.[29]
TheLUMA Tower is a 56-meter tall construction, the center of theLUMA Arles arts center.
In September–October 2007, divers led by Lucas Longas from the French Department of Subaquatic Archaeological Research, headed by Michel L'Hour, discovered a life-sized marble bust of an apparently important Roman person in theRhône near Arles, together with smaller statues ofMarsyas in Hellenistic style and of the godNeptune from the third century AD. The larger bust was tentatively dated to 46 BC. Since the bust displayed several characteristics of an ageing person with wrinkles, deep naso-labial creases and hollows in his face, and since the archaeologists believed thatJulius Caesar had founded the colonyColonia Iulia Paterna Arelate Sextanorum in 46 BC, the scientists came to the preliminary conclusion that the bust depicted a life-portrait of the Roman dictator: France's Minister of CultureChristine Albanel reported on 13 May 2008 that the bust would be the oldest representation of Caesar known today.[30] The story was picked up by all larger media outlets.[31][32] The realism of the portrait was said to place it in the tradition of late Republican portrait and genre sculptures. The archaeologists further claimed that a bust of Julius Caesar might have been thrown away or discreetly disposed of, because Caesar's portraits could have been viewed as politically dangerous possessions after the dictator's assassination.
Historians and archaeologists not affiliated with the French administration, among them Paul Zanker, an archaeologist and expert on Caesar andAugustus, were quick to question whether the bust is a portrait of Caesar.[33][34][35] Many noted the lack of resemblances to Caesar's likenesses issued on coins during the last years of the dictator's life, and to theTusculum bust of Caesar,[36] which depicts Julius Caesar in his lifetime, either as a so-calledzeitgesicht or as a direct portrait. After a further stylistic assessment, Zanker dated the Arles-bust to the Augustan period. Elkins argued for the third century AD as theterminus post quem for the deposition of the statues, refuting the claim that the bust was thrown away due to feared repercussions from Caesar's assassination in 44 BC.[37] The main argument by the French archaeologists that Caesar had founded the colony in 46 BC proved to be incorrect, as the colony was founded by Caesar's formerquaestorTiberius Claudius Nero on the dictator's orders in his absence.[38]Mary Beard has accused the persons involved in the find of having willfully invented their claims for publicity reasons. The French ministry of culture has not yet responded to the criticism and negative reviews.
AC Arles-Avignon was a professional French football team. They previously played in Championnat de France Amateur, the fourth division in French football, but were dissolved in 2016. They play at theParc des Sports, which has a capacity of just over 17,000.
Cafe Terrace at Night by Vincent van Gogh (September 1888), depicts the warmth of a café in Arles.
A well known photography festival,Rencontres d'Arles, takes place in Arles every year,[39] and the French national school of photography is located there.
The major French publishing house Actes Sud is also situated in Arles.
Bullfights are conducted in theamphitheatre, including Provençal-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, during theferia, Arles also holds Spanish-stylecorridas (in which the bulls are killed) with anencierro (bull-running in the streets) preceding each fight.
Arles played a major role inMarseille-Provence 2013, the year-long series of cultural events held in the region after it was designated theEuropean Capital of Culture for 2013. The city hosted a segment of the opening ceremony with a pyrotechnical performance by Groupe F on the banks of the Rhône. It also unveiled the new wing of the Musée Départemental Arles Antique as part of Marseille-Provence 2013.
Arles does not have its own commercial airport, but is served by a number of airports in the region, most notably the major international airport ofMarseille Provence approximately an hour's drive away.
TheRhône, which for navigation purposes is classified as aClass V waterway as far upstream asLyon, is a historically important transport route connecting the inlandRhône-Alpes region with theMediterranean Sea. The port of Arles and its adjacent rail and road connections provides a majortransshipment node, which in 2013 handled approximately 450,000 tonnes of goods.[41]
Jenny Berthelius (1923-2019), Swedish crime novelist and children's writer, lived in Arles[42]
Saint Caesarius of Arles, bishop who lived from the late 5th to the mid 6th century, known for prophecy and writings that would later be used by theologians such as St. Thomas Aquinas
Jeanne Calment (1875–1997), theoldest human being whose age is documented, was born, lived, died (aged 122 years and 164 days) and was buried, in Arles
^"Arles, Roman and Romanesque Monuments".UNESCO World Heritage Centre. United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. Retrieved10 October 2021.
^Greene, Kevin (2000). "Technological Innovation and Economic Progress in the Ancient World: M.I. Finley Re-Considered".The Economic History Review. New Series.53 (1): 29–59 [p. 39].doi:10.1111/1468-0289.00151.hdl:10.1111/1468-0289.00151.
^The table contains the temperatures and precipitation of the city of Arles for the period 1948-1999, extracted from the siteSophy.u-3mrs.fr.
^"Arles (13)"(PDF).Fiche Climatologique: Statistiques 1981–2010 et records (in French). Meteo France. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 30 March 2018. Retrieved30 March 2018.
^A different approach was presented by Mary Beard, in that members of a military Caesarian colony would not have discarded portraits of Caesar, whom they worshipped as god, although statues were in fact destroyed by the Anti-Caesarians in the city of Rome after Caesar's assassination (Appian,BC III.1.9).
^Konrat Ziegler & Walther Sontheimer (eds.), "Arelate", inDer Kleine Pauly: Lexikon der Antike, Vol. 1, col. 525, Munich 1979; in 46 BC, Caesar himself was campaigning in Africa, before later returning to Rome.
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