Church of St. Trophime, Arles

Interesting facts

One cloister capital shows a legendary miracle: Saint Trophimus revives a knight and nine relatives sentenced by Charlemagne for slapping Archbishop Turpin.

Another cloister capital shows Saint Martha taming the Tarasque, the legendary river monster of Provence.

In a scene of the shepherds' annunciation, two startled goats climb the Tree of Life on one of the eastern capitals.

One capital bears the arms of Arles beside the spread eagle of the Holy Roman Emperor, who ruled the city when it was carved.

In 1152 the relics of Saint Trophimus were carried in procession from the Alyscamps necropolis to the new cathedral.

At the foot of the west portal, the column bases are carved with lions and with Samson facing both Delilah and the lion.

Under a reform of Pope Gregory VII, the canons lived like monks around the cloister until 1355, after which their dormitory became a granary.

Work on the cloister stalled for more than a century after about 1220, as the counts moved to Aix and the city declined.

When the cathedral rose, Arles was the second-largest city in Provence, with about 15,000 to 20,000 people and a busy port on the Rhône.

The church holds late Roman sarcophagi, paintings by Louis Finson and a set of ten Baroque tapestries on the life of the Virgin.

Why it is worth it

The west portal of St. Trophime in Arles is one of the masterpieces of Romanesque sculpture. It shows Christ in majesty surrounded by the symbols of the evangelists, and with the apostles seated below him, and a frieze of the Last Judgement in which the chosen walk in procession towards heaven on one side while sinners are cast into hell on the other. Lower down stand statues of saints linked with the history of Arles, among them Trophimus, Peter and Paul.

The church stands on the site of a 5th-century basilica dedicated to Saint Stephen, and it takes its name from Trophimus, held by tradition to have been the first bishop of Arles. The present building was raised over several centuries: the transept and apse date from around the late 11th and early 12th centuries, the nave and bell tower from the second quarter of the 12th century, and in 1445-1465 a Gothic choir replaced the Romanesque apse. It was the cathedral of Arles, and in 1178 the emperor Frederick Barbarossa was crowned here; in 1365 Charles IV received the crown of the Kingdom of Arles in the same church. After the bishopric was abolished in 1801 it became a parish church, and in 1882 it was made a minor basilica.

Beside the church lies its cloister, built in two phases: the north and east galleries are Romanesque, with barrel vaults, from the 12th and early 13th centuries, while the south and west galleries are Gothic and date from the late 14th century. The capitals and corner pillars are carved with the Easter story, scenes from the life of Christ, Old Testament figures and the patron saints of Arles. Together with the Roman arena, theatre and other monuments of the city, St. Trophime has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Arles, Roman and Romanesque Monuments since 1981.

Getting there

The church is in the historic centre of Arles, about 0.2 km from the city's core. The nearest airport is Nîmes-Arles-Camargue Airport (FNI), about 19 km away. Arles has a railway station on the line between Avignon and Marseille.

From the encyclopaedia

The Church of St. Trophime (Trophimus) is a Roman Catholic church and former cathedral located in the city of Arles, in the Bouches-du-Rhône Department of southern France. It was built between the 12th century and the 15th century, and is in the Romanesque architectural tradition. The sculptures over the church's portal, particularly the Last Judgement, and the columns in the adjacent cloister, are considered some of the finest examples of Romanesque sculpture.

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Church of St. Trophime, Arles

Interesting facts

Why it is worth it

Getting there

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From the encyclopaedia