Roman and Romanesque monuments of Arles

Roman and Romanesque ; monuments of Arles
UNESCO world heritage
National territory:	France
Type:	Culture
Criteria :	(ii) (vi)
Surface:	65 ha
Reference No .:	164
UNESCO region :	Europe and North America
	History of enrollment
Enrollment:	1981 ( session 5 )

Under the name “ Roman and Romanesque monuments of Arles ”, UNESCO has grouped seven monuments in the southern French municipality of Arles in the Bouches-du-Rhône department .

enrollment

The inscription in the list of the UNESCO World Heritage took place during the 5th session of the World Heritage Committee from October 26 to 30, 1981 in the Australian metropolis of Sydney .

The following criteria were met at the time of registration on the World Heritage List:

ii: The goods show, for a period of time or in a cultural area of the earth, a significant intersection of human values in relation to the development of architecture or technology, large-scale sculpture, urban planning or landscape design.
vi: The goods are linked in a direct or recognizable manner to events or traditional ways of life, to ideas or creeds, or to artistic or literary works of exceptional universal importance.

description

Arles is a good example of the connection between an ancient city and medieval European civilization. Impressive Roman monuments stand here, the earliest of which - the amphitheater ( ), the theater ( ) and the forum with a cryptoporticus ( ) - dating from the 1st century BC. Come from BC . During the 4th century Arles experienced a second golden age, as testified by the Baths of Constantine ( ) and the necropolis of Alyscamps ( ). In the 11th and 12th centuries , Arles once again became one of the most attractive cities in the Mediterranean . Inside the city walls ( ), Saint-Trophime is one of the most important Romanesque monuments in Provence with its cloister ( ) from this period . 43.67765 4.6308543.67642 4.6300443.67328 4.6261143.67537 4.6271843.67212 4.6354643.67232 4.6283843.67299 4.62773

Amphitheater (arena)

Based on archaeological research, the time the amphitheater was built can be limited to the years 90 to 100 . For this purpose, part of the original, southern city fortifications from the Augustan era was demolished shortly after the city was founded in 46 . The building was erected in the north of ancient Arles on the northern slope of the Colline de la Hauture . The amphitheater stands on an area of 1.15 hectares (136 m × 107 m). The facade, 21 meters high, is divided into two floors with 60 arched arcades each. In contrast to today, the main entrance is on the north side, this was in Roman times in the west; Remnants of stairs still remind us of that. The rising ranks of the theater ( maenianum ) from 34 levels were divided into four ranks for the different social classes. With a seat width of 40 centimeters, there was a capacity of 21,000 spectators.

Today the building is used, among other things, as a place for bullfighting , which is only permitted in southern France , for bloodless bull games ( Courses Camarguaises ), but also for theater and musical performances.

Ancient theater

theatre

From the under Emperor Augustus around 25 BC. In BC, theaters built two Corinthian columns , the orchestra and, from the semicircle of the audience, the lowest of the 33 rows of seats with 12,000 seats as well as a tower that still retains the original height of three arcades. The famous Venus de Arles was found here in 1651 and is now in the Louvre in Paris and a copy in the staircase of the Hôtels de Ville on the Place de la République.

Forum

The Roman forum with a cryptoporticus (underground arcade, around 40 BC) was located at the intersection of the two former main routes of the city of Cardo (north-south) and Decumanus (east-west). It consisted of a paved square with an area of around 3000 square meters. The forum was originally framed by four monumental porticos , which include just as many arcade galleries. Ancient authors such as Sidonius Apollinaris (431 / 2–479) described the forum as “overflowing with columns and statues”.

Baths of Constantine

Hypocaust in the baths of Constantine

The thermal baths were built at the beginning of the 4th century when Emperor Constantine resided in Arelate. Known as the "Palace of the Troubled" in the Middle Ages, they were mistakenly viewed as the ruins of a palace that Emperor Constantine would have built.

The currently visible remains correspond to the caldarium with suspended heating floors ( hypocaust ) and three swimming pools (solia), two of which are rectangular, the third in a semicircular apse and with three windows.

Alyscamps necropolis

Stone sarcophagus from the necropolis

The Alyscamps is a first pagan , then Christian necropolis on the southeastern edge of the old town of Arles. The burial ground on the Via Aurelia , which was laid out in antiquity, gained importance from the 5th century, when the veneration of St. Genesius spread. Genesius (St. Genès) was a clerk in Arles who, because he had refused to confirm death sentences against Christians , was beheaded under the Roman emperor Maximian around the year 303 AD. Like the bishops of Arles in the following years, Genesius was buried in the cemetery. With the onset of the streams of pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela , the importance of the Alyscamps increased in the 12th century. Here on the Alyscamps starts Via Tolosana , the southernmost of the four main French routes of the Camino de Santiago . This is where the pilgrims gathered for their way to Santiago de Compostela.

Saint Trophime with cloister

The former Saint-Trophime cathedral is a Roman Catholic church. It was initially the abbey church of the Benedictine order , and later the episcopal church of Arles. Today it is the most important building in the city of Arles and an important example of Romanesque architecture . The Romanesque part of the church was built between 1100 and 1150. The Gothic choir was then added between 1454 and 1464 .

Gothic wing of the cloister

On the south side was the Saint-Trophime monastery until 1792 with the cloister built in two stages and still existing today . While the northern and eastern corridors were built in Romanesque style between 1160 and 1180 , the western and southern sections were not built in Gothic style until the 14th and 15th centuries .
The capitals of the north wing are adorned with sculptures depicting the Easter mystery and the glorification of saints from Arles (for example, St. Trophimus between Peter and John). The capitals of the east wing represent stages in the life (including the Passion ) of Christ. The capitals of the south wing tell the life of St. Trophimus. The capitals of the west wing have different motifs.

Web links

Commons : Roman and Romanesque Monuments of Arles - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

↑ 5th meeting of the World Heritage Committee ( English ); accessed on May 25, 2020.

Map with all coordinates: OSM | WikiMap

[1] 5th meeting of the World Heritage Committee ( English ); accessed on May 25, 2020.