Today I went on an excursion with the Minnesota group to
Arles, in the neighboring Provence region.
Our first stop was at the ancient Abbey de Montmajour, a few kilometers
outside of Arles. It is very old, the complex’s
first chapel being raised in the mid-11th Century and the rest of
the structure was added on over the centuries as the abbey grew in influence
and fame. It was reputed to hold a piece
of the True Cross, which attracted many pilgrims on their way to Spain to visit
the shrine of Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle¸ which if you remember is the
same pilgrimage route that allowed both Montpellier and the abbey of St.-Guilhem-le-desert to prosper. The abbey was fortified by the French during
the Hundred Years War (England vs. France, 1337-1453) and also weathered the
wars of religion fairly well over the next three centuries.
The Abbey de Montmajour was full of interesting sights. The ancient catacombs beneath the structure were
excavated into the rock of the hill itself and were constructed so as to be
able to support the weight of the entire structure above. Carved into the stones of the arches and
walls, one can see mason’s marks- the initials or symbols of the masons who
constructed the project so that they could claim payment for the amount of work
that they contributed. For those of you
familiar with the World War Two meme, it was their version of “Kilroy was here.” The crypt opened out into an open area of the
rock, where can be seen several holes that had been cut in the rock to serve as
graves. I do not envy the grave-diggers,
as the rock seems rather solid.
After a tour of the complex, we were allowed to claim to the
top of the tower that had been constructed as a part of the military
foritifcations. It allowed a sweeping view
of the surrounding land. Once a marsh,
it was now wide open farmland used for growing crops and for grazing
cattle. There were two separate mountain
ranges visible in the distance. Vincent
Van Gogh used to paint from a spot near the gate of the abbey, looking out over
vista.
After seeing the abbey, we were conducted to Arles. As early as the 11th Century B.C.,
the Mediterranean Phoenician Empire had established a small presence in the
area, which was further expanded upon by the arrival of the Greeks in the 8th
Century B.C. The Greeks founded
Massillia (today known as Marseilles) in the 6th Century B.C. and
set up a trading post at present day Arles, calling it Théliné, and using it as
a route for inland trade heading towards Massillia at the cost. In the next century, the Celts settled in the area and made a
defensive encampment in the marshy land, calling it Ar Laith, which means place of the marshes. When the Romans entered the area, the
settlement became known as Arelate.
Julius Caesar first rose to power with the aid of other
political players, Pompey and Crassus.
Caesar rose to fame with his military conquest and colonization of Gaul
(present day France and Belgium).
Despite being the one to put down the slave revolt of Spartucus and
being the wealthiest man in Roman history (and indeed, among the wealthiest men
who ever lived), Crassus foolishly got himself killed off in a battle near the
present-day border of Turkey and
Syria. His death caused the collapse of
the “First Triumvirate”, meaning that Caesar and Pompey immediately began
gunning for the top-leadership position in Rome, splitting the Roman Republic
into civil war. Marseilles bet on Pompey
winning and Arles supported Caesar. The
latter proved to be the wiser course.
Caesar’s army took Marseilles by siege with aid from ships from Arles. After his assumption of the Roman
dictatorship, Caesar made Arles an official Roman colony, stripping Marseilles
of its land and trade rights and bestowing them upon Arles. The city prospered as a result as a major
trade center.
The most iconic structure in the city is the Roman arena. Used for gladiator fights, most of the
structure is still standing. The
corridor system was constructed to facilitate in the rapid evacuation of
spectators, should and emergency arise.
Underneath the sandy stage were subterranean tunnels, used to house
animal cages and machinery. Apparantly
the arena was fortified during the Barbarian invasions, housing more than 200
houses and two chapels inside. Since
then, the structure suffered damage, but these buildings were cleared away in
1830. Since then, there has been an
ongoing restoration project. Today the
arena is still used for festivals and bull fighting.
The oldest structure is the Roman Theatre, built over the
reigns of Augustus and Antony. Roman
theaters were incredibly complex in their prime, but only the bones of the structure
remain. The semi-circular seating is
well intact, being carved from the stone of the hill, and many of the
walls. There were originally three rows
of columns, but today only two remain standing, side-by-side supporting a
section of the fronton, which supported one of the stage walls. There are trenches just around the sides of
the stage, which at one point housed stage machinery. As a former amateur actor, it was a very neat
experience standing on the stage in the middle of the ancient theater.
There is something especially moving in placing one’s hand
on a stone foundation laid so long ago.
It is hard to wrap one’s mind around how ancient these buildings are and
all of the history that they have weathered.
Another neat area was Republic Square, housing a needle-like
obelisk on top of a fountain and three ancient buildings. The Saint Anne Church (17th
Century) on the north side is now a museum.
On the east side is the Town Hall
(1673-1676), which also sports a clock tower, once century older than the rest
of the structure. I am not sure how that
works. The belfry of the clock tower is
host to a bronze stature representing the Roman god Mars. The Town Hall chamber is an architectural wonder:
it has a flat ceiling and is wholly supported by 20 columns. It was studied by craftsmen from all of
France. On the south side of the square
is the Saint Trophime church, constructed in the 12th Century. It stands on the site of an evenolder
Carolingian church, the Saint Etienne basilica.
After renovations in the 11th, 12th, and 15th
centuries, it became a cathedral.
Because the majority of its parishioners were illiterate (it was the
DARK AGES, after all), in the 12th century, the doorway was innately
carved into a vast, intricate representation of the Final Judgment. It features Christ surrounded by the four
evangelists, the twelve apostles, various scenes from the gospels, both Saint
James, Saint Paul, Saint Andres, Saint Trophime, Saint John the Evangelist,
Saint Peter, the martyrdom of Saint
Etienne, King Herod and other kings, the Adoration of the Kings, an angel receiving
the elected in front of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, an angel driving off the “Rejected”,
the same Rejected in Hell being chained by the devil, and a curious scene
involving wolves and babies. The tour
guide told us that the sculptors of the Provençal Romanesque School of art (of
which this was an example) used to represent the soul as an infant. So I suppose it has something to do with the
afore mentioned judgment day scene. It
was extremely impressive. There was an extraordinary
amount of detail worked into the carvings, enough to impress even a heretic
Lutheran like myself.
We also visited numerous portions of the city that Van Gogh
had painted during his stay from February 1888 until May 1890. The had reproductions of his paintings set up
in the exact spot that he had rested his canvas during their paintings so that one
could compare how he portrayed that spot one hundred years ago to how it
appears now. It was a very neat effect.
After a very full day, I came home, had dinner with my host
family, and then typed this blog post while watching the debut episode of the
French version of “The Voice”. I am not
sure how much longer I can stay awake, so I will wrap this up with an
adieu. Bonne nuit.
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