Since the French Revolution, Saint Trophime Cathedral has been a parish church. It’s adjacent to the Town Hall, which I passed on the way to the Cloister of Saint Trophime.
As it happens, I went to the cloister first and had a chat with the ticket person. After talking about her knitting, we decided that the cathedral would be closing first. So, having bought a ticket for the cloister, I backtracked to the cathedral.
I returned to the cloister and continued talking about knitting. The young woman was the third women I’d seen knitting on this European trip. She told me that it’s a bit of a fashion at the moment.
The cloister, an example of Romanesque architecture, was built in the 12th century. It’s renowned for sculptures depicting scenes from the Bible. I found some of these quite evocative even though my memory of reading the Bible is now vague.
The rooftop terrace had good views of the church’s bell tower and the Town Hall.
I mentioned that Vincent Van Gogh painted the Roman cemetery, Les Alyscamps, in Arles. His year in Arles (from 1888) was a period of intense creativity, resulting in about 300 drawings and paintings.
At Arles, Van Gogh cohabitated with artist Paul Gauguin. This period of creativity was accompanied by personal turmoil. It was in Arles that Van Gogh mutilated his left ear. This prompted Gauguin to leave Arles. Although Van Gogh and Gauguin continued to exchange letters, they never saw each other again.
The post-impressionist style that Van Gogh became famous for (bold colours, dynamic thick brushstrokes) was solidified in Arles.
You can follow the Van Gogh Trail in Arles and see the places that inspired him. These were the backdrop to famous paintings such as The Yellow House, The Starry Night, The Garden of the Health Centre, and the “Van Gogh Bridge”.
Whilst sitting in the incredibly popular garden of the health centre, I read an essay by someone who had located the spot from which Van Gogh painted The Starry Night. The writer said it was close to Van Gogh’s home.
Here’s a photo from the spot and the painting itself, which I saw at the Musée d’Orsay a few weeks ago. You have to use your imagination to see the resemblance!
