Alyscamps

The Alyscamps (what wants to say “ quoted of dead the ”) is a Nécropole, located at Arles, in the department of the Rhone delta, going back to the Roman epoch.

History

Initially, of the Roman epoch to the the Middle Ages, Alyscamps were a Christian Nécropole pagan then located at the south-eastern entry of the city of Arles on the way Aurélia, i.e. apart from the city like the majority of the necropoles Romans. They included/understood very many sarcophagi.

As of the end of the 4th century, Alyscamps and the cemetery of Trinquetaille owe their celebrity to the martyr of Genest, saint arlésien, decapitated in 303. With the wire of the centuries this place becomes so famous that many people wish to be buried there, following the example bishops of Arles. Corpses descend also the course from the the Rhone on small boats to be buried there; an amount of money being united to remunerate Arlésiens which takes care of this work.

With 11th, 12th and 13th centuries, this known cemetery of all Christendom, grows rich by many churches like that of Saint-Honorat, set up following the transfer of part of the site to powerful the Abbaye of Saint-Victor of Marseilles. Alyscamps then become the starting point of the Pèlerinage of Compostelle for the provençaux pilgrims.

However, in 1152, the transfer of the relics of Trophime saint to the Saint-Etienne cathedral (become Saint-Trophime thereafter), in the center town, removes part of its prestige to him.

Starting from the Rebirth, the prelates, lords and kings the sarcophagi best carved conceal to enrich their collections. A boat thus charged would have run in the Rhone towards the end of the 16th century to height of Pont-Saint-Esprit.

During XVIe century this district is the subject of a first transformation with the digging of the Canal of Craponne which feeds out of water the Crau, between Durance and the Rhone.

More recently, at the 19th century, Alyscamps were deeply modified during the construction of the railway Paris-Lyon-Marseilles (1848) and of the related workshops.

This place, painted by Van Gogh and Gauguin (1888), became then, with the wire of time, a new district of Arles.

See too

Internal bonds

External bonds

  1. Alyscamps on the site of the inheritance arlésien

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