View source for Arles

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Short description|City in Provence, France}}
{{About|the city in France|the medieval kingdom|Kingdom of Arles|the village in Ireland|Arless|the village in England|Arle, Gloucestershire}}
{{Infobox French commune
|name                   = Arles
|native name            = {{native name|oc|Arle}}
|commune status         = [[Subprefectures in France|Subprefecture]] and [[Communes of France|commune]]
|image                  = {{multiple image
|perrow = 1/2/2
|border = infobox
|total_width = 280
|image1 = 1 arles france 2016.jpg
|caption1 = Aerial view of Arles and the [[Rhône]]
|image2 = FranceArlesArenes 07-2010.jpg
|caption2 = [[Arles Amphitheatre]]
|image3 = Arles-Hôtel de ville-bjs180820-01.jpg
|caption3 = [[Hôtel de Ville, Arles|Hôtel de Ville]]
|image4 = Arles-Église Saint Trophime-Façade-20200306.jpeg
|caption4 =  [[Church of St. Trophime, Arles|Church of St. Trophime]] 
|image5 = Arles Amphitheatre gallo romain pano.jpg
|caption5 =[[Roman Theatre of Arles|Roman Theatre]]
}}
|coordinates            = {{coord|43.67670|4.6278|format=dms|region:FR-PAC_type:city(51,000)|display=inline,title}}
|arrondissement         = Arles
|image coat of arms     = Blason Arles 13.svg
|canton                 = Arles
|INSEE                  = 13004
|postal code            = 13200
|mayor                  = Patrick de Carolis<ref>{{cite web|title=Répertoire national des élus: les maires|url=https://www.data.gouv.fr/fr/datasets/r/2876a346-d50c-4911-934e-19ee07b0e503|website=data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises|date=5 May 2026|language=fr}}</ref>
|term                   = 2026&ndash;32
|party                  = 
|intercommunality       = [[Communauté d'agglomération Arles-Crau-Camargue-Montagnette|Arles-Crau-Camargue-Montagnette]]
|elevation m            = 10
|elevation min m        = 0
|elevation max m        = 57
|area km2               = 758.93
|population             = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_total}}
|population date        = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_as_of}}
|population footnotes   = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_footnotes}}
|image flag=Drapeau d'Arles.svg}}

'''Arles''' ({{IPA|fr|aʁl|lang}};{{efn|{{IPAc-en|ɑːr|l|(|z|)}} {{respell|ARL(Z)}}, {{IPAc-en|USalso|ˈ|ɑːr|əl}} {{respell|AR|əl}},<ref>{{Cite American Heritage Dictionary|Arles|access-date=6 June 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/arles |title=Arles |work=[[Collins English Dictionary]] |publisher=[[HarperCollins]] |access-date=6 June 2019}}</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20190606152106/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/us/Arles "Arles"] (US) and {{Cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.lexico.com/definition/Arles |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200322182316/https://www.lexico.com/definition/arles |url-status=dead |archive-date=2020-03-22 |title=Arles |dictionary=[[Lexico]] UK English Dictionary |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite Merriam-Webster|Arles|access-date=6 June 2019}}</ref>}} {{langx|oc|label=[[Provençal dialect|Provençal]]|Arle}} {{IPA|oc|ˈaʀle|}}){{efn|Classical {{langx|la|Arelate}}}} is a coastal city and [[Communes of France|commune]] in [[southern France]], a [[Subprefectures in France|subprefecture]] in the [[Bouches-du-Rhône]] [[Departments of France|department]] of the [[Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur]] [[Regions of France|region]], in the former [[Provinces of France|province]] of [[Provence]].

A large part of the [[Camargue]], the largest wetlands in France, is located within the territory of the commune, which is the [[List of French communes by surface area|largest]] in [[Metropolitan France]] in terms of geographic territory. In non-metropolitan France, [[Maripasoula]] in [[French Guiana]] is the largest French commune in general. 

The city has a long history, and was of considerable importance in the [[Roman province]] of [[Gallia Narbonensis]]. The [[Arles, Roman and Romanesque Monuments|Roman and Romanesque Monuments of Arles]] were listed as [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]]s in 1981 for their testimony to the history of the region.<ref name = "unesco">{{cite web |title = Arles, Roman and Romanesque Monuments |url = http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/164 |website = UNESCO World Heritage Centre |publisher = United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization |access-date = 10 October 2021}}</ref>

The city is famous for being the archdiocese of [[Caesarius of Arles]] and [[Hilary of Arles]]. Additionally, many artists have lived and worked in this area, including [[Pablo Picasso]], [[Paul Gauguin]] and [[Jacques Réattu]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.studiosofthesouth.com/73901/74801.html |title=Painters in Arles |publisher=Studios of the South |access-date=2020-12-15}}</ref> The Dutch [[Post-Impressionism|post-Impressionist]] painter [[Vincent van Gogh]] lived in Arles from 1888 to 1889, and produced over 300 paintings and drawings during his time there. These are held in internationally known museums and private collections around the world. An international photography festival has been held annually in the city since 1970.
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== Name ==
The settlement is attested as ''Arelate'' in the mid-1st century BC ([[Caesar]]), ''Areláte'' (Ἀρελάτη) in the early 1st c. AD ([[Strabo]]), ''Arlate civitas'' in 954, and ''Arle'' in the 13th century.{{Sfn|Nègre|1990|p=116}} The [[Toponymy|toponym]] ''Arelate'' is a Latinized form of the [[Gaulish]] *''Arelati'', meaning 'by the marsh', or 'in front of the marsh'.{{Sfn|Delamarre|2003|p=197}}

==Geography==
The river [[Rhône]] forks into two branches just upstream of Arles, forming the [[Camargue]] delta. Because the Camargue is for a large part administratively part of Arles, the [[communes of France|commune]] as a whole is the largest  in [[Metropolitan France]].  Over seven times greater in area than [[Paris]], Arles occupies {{convert|758.93|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} and has a population of 51,156.

In addition to the city proper in the north of the territory, the commune of Arles includes a number of outlying towns and hamlets, including Albaron, Gageron, Mas-Thibert, Moulès, [[Pont-de-Crau]], Raphèle-lès-Arles, Saliers, [[Salin-de-Giraud]] and Le Sambuc.

==History==

===Iron Age===
The [[Ligures|Ligurians]] were in this area from about 800 BC. Later [[Celts|Celtic]] influences have also been discovered. The city became an important Greek (from Messalia) and [[Phoenicia]]n trading port, before it was taken over by the [[Ancient Rome|Romans]].

In the 6th century BCE, Greek merchants sailed up the Rhône river, 38 km north of the Mediterranean coast discovering a hill surrounded by wetland marshes and inhabited by a small tribe of Ligures. Archaelogical digs have shown they used greek furniture, indicating Arles was established as a Greek trading base. Arelate means "town by the marsh". The Greeks had already founded Marseille (Messalia) and the Greek merchants saw potential in this new site. Arles was on a geographical important location, the first place to cross the Rhône from the sea. It also was at the intersection of major trade routes, and the main route from Italy to Spain.

===Roman period===
[[File:Arènes d'Arles 1.jpg|thumb|left|[[Arles Amphitheatre]], a Roman arena]]
[[File:Passageway in Roman arena.JPG|thumb|upright|Passageway in the Amphitheatre]]
The Romans took the town in 123 BC and expanded it into an important city. They built a canal link to the [[Mediterranean Sea]] in 104 BC. Arles had to compete with [[Marseille|Massalia]] (Marseille) further along the coast.

The recently discovered republican House of the Harpist is an exceptional example of ancient architecture and interior decoration. Dating from 70-50 BC, it has yielded elaborate frescoes.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/03/its-exactly-like-a-puzzle-experts-on-piecing-together-roman-fresco-find|title='It's exactly like a puzzle': experts on piecing together Roman fresco find|date=3 September 2021|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=11 June 2022}}</ref>

Arles' leaders sided with [[Julius Caesar]] against [[Pompey]], providing military support. Massalia backed Pompey; when Caesar emerged victorious, Massalia was stripped of its possessions, which were transferred to Arelate as a reward. The town was formally established as a colony for veterans of the [[Roman legion]] [[Legio VI Ferrata|Legio VI ''Ferrata'']], which had its base there. Its full title as a colony was ''Colonia Iulia Paterna Arelatensium Sextanorum'', "the ancestral Julian colony of Arles of the soldiers of the Sixth."

Arelate was a city of considerable importance in the province of [[Gallia Narbonensis]]. It covered an area of some {{convert|40|ha}} and possessed a number of monuments, including [[Arles Amphitheatre|an amphitheatre]], [[triumphal arch]], [[Roman circus#row-Arelate|Roman circus]], [[Roman theatre (structure)|theatre]], and a full circuit of walls. Ancient Arles was closer to the sea than it is now and served as a major port. The river has carried centuries of silt that has filled in the former harbor. The city had (and still has) the southernmost bridge on the Rhône.

The Roman bridge was unique in that it was not fixed but consisted of a pontoon-style [[bridge of boats]], with towers and drawbridges at each end. The boats were secured in place by anchors and were tethered to twin towers built just upstream of the bridge. This unusual design was a way of coping with the river's frequent violent floods, which would have made short work of a conventional bridge. Nothing remains of the Roman bridge, which has been replaced by a more modern bridge near the same spot.

The city reached a peak of influence during the 4th and 5th centuries, when [[Roman Emperor]]s frequently used it as their headquarters during military campaigns in Europe. In 395, it became the seat of the [[Praetor]]ian Prefecture of the [[Gaul]]s, governing the western part of the Western Empire: Gaul proper plus [[Hispania]] (Spain) and [[Armorica]] ([[Brittany]]). At that time, the city was home to an estimated 75,000&ndash;100,000 people.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.academia.edu/1166147 |title = "The Fall and Decline of the Roman Urban Mind" |last1 = Fischer |first1 = Svante |last2 = Victor |first2 = Helena |date = 19 December 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{Google books |id=nyQVAgAAQBAJ |page=78 |title=Rick Steves's Provence & the French Riviera }}</ref><ref>{{Google books |id=ZmA18QOiBUUC |page=1173 |title=Nelson's Dictionary of Christianity: The Authoritative Resource on the Christian World }}</ref><ref>{{Google books |id=wZqSDRP6vuoC |page=81 |title=Provence }}</ref> 

The city also dominated the Rhone Valley, the main connection between North Gaul, Italy and the Mediterranean Sea. This natural corridor between the Central Massive and the Alps was a crucial route for troop movements, communication and supply. Those who controlled Arles actually controlled strategic access to Gaul. It was often the subject of hostilities for that reason, especially in the 5th century.

It became a favorite city of Emperor [[Constantine I]], who built [[Thermae|baths]] there, substantial remains of which are still standing. His son, [[Constantine II of the Roman Empire|Constantine II]], was born in Arles. [[Roman usurper|Usurper]] [[Constantine III (usurper)|Constantine III]] declared himself emperor in the West (407–411) and made Arles his capital in 408.

Arles became renowned as a cultural and religious centre during the late Roman Empire. It was the birthplace of [[Favorinus]], known as the sceptical philosopher. It was also a key location for Roman Christianity and an important base for the [[Christianization]] of Gaul. The [[Ancient Diocese of Arles|city's bishopric]] was held by a series of outstanding clerics, beginning with [[Saint Trophimus]] around 225 and continuing with Saint [[Honoratus]], then Saint [[Hilary of Arles|Hilarius]] in the first half of the 5th century. The political tension between the Catholic bishops of Arles and the [[Visigoths|Visigothic]] kings is epitomized in the career of the Frankish St. [[Caesarius of Arles|Caesarius, bishop of Arles]] 503–542. Suspected by the [[Arianism|Arian]] Visigoth [[Alaric II]] of conspiring with the [[Burgundians]] to turn over the Arelate to Burgundy, he was exiled for a year to Bordeaux in Aquitaine. Political tensions were evident again in 512, when Arles held out against [[Theodoric the Great]]. Caesarius was imprisoned and sent to [[Ravenna]] to explain his actions before the [[Ostrogoths|Ostrogothic]] king.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.ccel.org/ccel/wace/biodict/biodict/Page_Index.html |title=Christian Classics Ethereal Library |website=ccel.org |access-date=11 June 2022}}</ref>

The friction between the Arian Christianity of the [[Visigoths]] and the Catholicism of the bishops sent out from Rome established deep roots for religious [[heterodoxy]], even [[heresy]], in [[Occitania|Occitan]] culture. At [[Treves]] in 385, [[Priscillian]] achieved the distinction of becoming the first Christian executed for [[heresy]] ([[Manichaean]] in his case, see also [[Cathar]]s, [[Camisards]]). Despite this tension and the city's decline in the face of [[barbarian]] invasions, Arles remained a great religious centre. It hosted church councils (see [[Council of Arles]]), the rival of [[Vienne, Isère|Vienne]], for hundreds of years.

===Roman aqueduct and mill===
[[File:Aqueduc Romain près de Fontvieille 2.JPG|thumb|[[Barbegal aqueduct and mill|Aqueduct of Arles]] at [[Barbegal]]]]

The [[Barbegal aqueduct and mill]] is a [[List of Roman watermills|Roman watermill]] complex located on the territory of the commune of [[Fontvieille, Bouches-du-Rhône|Fontvieille]], a few kilometres from Arles. The complex has been referred to as "the greatest known concentration of mechanical power in the [[ancient world]]".<ref>{{cite journal |first=Kevin |last=Greene |title=Technological Innovation and Economic Progress in the Ancient World: M.I. Finley Re-Considered |journal=The Economic History Review |series=New Series |volume=53 |issue=1 |year=2000 |pages=29–59 [p. 39] |doi=10.1111/1468-0289.00151 |hdl=10.1111/1468-0289.00151 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> The remains of the mill streams and buildings which housed the overshot [[water wheel]]s are still visible at the site, and it is by far the best-preserved of ancient mills. There are two aqueducts which join just north of the mill complex, and a sluice which enabled the operators to control the water supply to the complex. The mill consisted of 16 water wheels in two separate rows built into a steep hillside. There are substantial masonry remains of the water channels and foundations of the individual mills, together with a staircase rising up the hill upon which the mills are built. The mills apparently operated from the end of the 1st century until about the end of the 3rd century.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.patrimoine.ville-arles.fr/arles/ville.cfm?action=edifice_histoire&id=95 |title=Ville d'Histoire et de Patrimoine |publisher=Patrimoine.ville-arles.fr |access-date=2013-03-25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131206194648/http://www.patrimoine.ville-arles.fr/arles/ville.cfm?action=edifice_histoire&id=95 |archive-date=2013-12-06 }}</ref> The capacity of the mills has been estimated at 4.5 tons of [[flour]] per day, sufficient to supply enough bread for 12,000 of the 30,000–40,000 inhabitants of Arelate at that time.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.etab.ac-caen.fr/lescourtils/provence/barbegal.htm |title=La meunerie de Barbegal |publisher=Etab.ac-caen.fr |access-date=2013-03-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070117123744/http://www.etab.ac-caen.fr/lescourtils/provence/barbegal.htm |archive-date=2007-01-17 |url-status=dead }}</ref> A similar mill complex existed also on the [[Janiculum]] in [[Rome]]. Examination of the [[mill leat]] still just visible on one side of the hill shows a substantial accretion of lime in the channel, tending to confirm its long working life.

It is thought that the wheels were overshot water wheels with the outflow from the top driving the next one down and so on, to the base of the hill. Vertical water mills were well known to the Romans, being described by [[Vitruvius]] in his ''[[De Architectura]]'' of 25 BC, and mentioned by [[Pliny the Elder]] in his [[Naturalis Historia|Natural History]] of 77 AD. There are also later references to floating water mills from [[Byzantium]] and to [[sawmill]]s on the river [[Moselle]] by the poet [[Ausonius]]. The use of multiple stacked sequences of [[reverse overshot water wheel]]s was widespread in Roman mines.

===Middle Ages===
[[File:Arles Kreuzgang B220798.JPG|thumb|[[Church of St. Trophime]] and its cloister]]
In 735, after raiding the Lower Rhône, [[Al-Andalus|Andalusian]] [[Saracen]]s led by [[Yusuf ibn 'Abd al-Rahman al-Fihri]] moved into the stronghold summoned by Count [[Maurontus]], who feared [[Charles Martel]]'s expansionist ambitions, though this may have been an excuse to further Muslim expansion beyond Iberia. The next year, Charles campaigned south to Septimania and Provence, attacking and capturing Arles from the [[Muslim]] [[Arabs]] after destroying Avignon. In 739, Charles definitively drove Maurontus to exile, and brought [[Provence]] to heel. Louis the Pious, in 829, placed Arles under royal protection and assigned it with special privileges.{{sfn|Lewis|1965|p=48}}  In 855, it was made the capital of a Frankish [[Kingdom of Burgundy]], which included [[Burgundy (region)|Burgundy]] and part of Provence, but was frequently terrorised by Saracen and [[Viking]] raiders. In 888, Rudolph, Count of [[Auxerre]] (now in north-western Burgundy), founded the kingdom of [[Bourgogne Transjurane|Transjuran Burgundy]] (literally, beyond the Jura mountains), which included western Switzerland as far as the river Reuss, [[Valais]], [[Geneva]], [[Chablais]] and [[Bugey]].

In 933, [[Hugh of Arles]] ("Hugues de Provence") gave his kingdom up to Rudolph II, who merged the two kingdoms into a new [[Kingdom of Burgundy-Arles]]. In 1032, King [[Rudolf III of Burgundy|Rudolph III]] died, and the kingdom was inherited by Emperor [[Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor|Conrad II]] the Salic. Though his successors counted themselves kings of Arles, few went to be crowned in the cathedral. Most of the kingdom's territory was progressively incorporated into France. During these troubled times, [[Arles Amphitheatre|the amphitheatre]] was converted into a fortress, with watchtowers built at each of the four quadrants and a minuscule [[walled town]] being constructed within. The population was by now only a fraction of what it had been in Roman times, with much of old Arles lying in ruins.

The town regained political and economic prominence in the 12th century, with the Holy Roman Emperor [[Frederick Barbarossa]] traveling there in 1178 for his coronation. In the 12th century, it became a free city governed by an elected ''[[podestat]]'' (chief magistrate; literally "power"), who appointed the [[consuls]] and other magistrates. It retained this status until the [[French Revolution]] of 1789.

Arles joined the countship of Provence in 1239, but, once more, its prominence was eclipsed by Marseilles. In 1378, the Holy Roman Emperor [[Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles IV]] made the [[Dauphin of France]] (later King [[Charles VI of France]]) vicar of the moribund [[Kingdom of Burgundy-Arles]] for his lifetime. The kingdom ceased to have any political existence soon afterwards.

===Modern era===
[[File:Arles Place de la République.jpg|thumb|Place de la République and the [[Hôtel de Ville, Arles|Hôtel de Ville]]]]
Arles remained economically important for many years as a major port on the Rhône. The [[Hôtel de Ville, Arles|Hôtel de Ville]] was completed in 1676.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.patrimoine.ville-arles.fr/arles/ville.cfm?action=edifice&id=20|title=Hôtel de Ville d'Arles|publisher=Patrimoine de le ville d'Arles  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081126234331/http://www.patrimoine.ville-arles.fr/arles/ville.cfm?action=edifice&id=20|archive-date=26 November 2008}}</ref>

In the 19th century, the establishment of railways diminished river trade, leading to the city declining in prominence. This made it a destination for the painter Vincent van Gogh, who arrived there on 21 February 1888. He was fascinated by the Provençal landscapes, producing over 300 paintings and drawings during his time in Arles. Many of his most famous paintings were completed there, including ''[[The Night Cafe]]'', the ''[[Bedroom in Arles|Yellow Room]]'', ''[[Starry Night Over the Rhone]]'', and ''[[L'Arlésienne (painting)|L'Arlésienne]]''. [[Paul Gauguin]] visited van Gogh in Arles. However, van Gogh's mental health deteriorated and he became alarmingly eccentric, culminating in the ear-severing incident in December 1888 which resulted in two stays in the [[Hospital in Arles (Van Gogh series)|Old Hospital of Arles]]. The concerned Arlesians circulated a petition the following February demanding that van Gogh be confined. In May 1889, he voluntarily left Arles for the [[Saint-Paul asylum]] at nearby [[Saint-Rémy-de-Provence]].

===Jewish history===
{{Main|History of the Jews in Arles}}
Arles had an important and prominent Jewish community between the Roman era and the end of the 15th century. A local legend describes the first Jews in Arles as exiles from [[Judaea]] after [[Jerusalem]] fell to the Romans. Nevertheless, the first documented evidence of Jews in Arles is not before the fifth century, when a distinguished community already existed in the town. Arles was an important Jewish crossroads, as a port city and close to [[Spain]] and the rest of Europe alike. It served a major role in the work of the [[Hachmei Provence]] group of famous Jewish scholars, translators and philosophers, who were most important to Judaism throughout the Middle Ages. In the eighth century, jurisdiction over the Jews of Arles was passed to the local Archbishop, making the Jewish taxes to the clergy somewhat of a shield for the community from mob attacks, most frequent during the [[Crusades]]. The community lived relatively peacefully until the last decade of the 15th century, when they were expelled from the city never to return. Several Jews did live in the city in the centuries after, though no community was found ever after. Nowadays, Jewish archaeological findings and texts from Arles can be found in the local museum.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/1784-arles |title=ARLES |website=Jewishencyclopedia.com |access-date=11 June 2022}}</ref>

==Climate==
Arles has a [[Mediterranean climate#Hot-summer Mediterranean climate|hot summer Mediterranean climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]]: ''Csa'')<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://fr.climate-data.org/europe/france/provence-alpes-cote-d-azur/arles-7789/ |title=Climat Arles: Température moyenne Arles, diagramme climatique pour Arles - Climate-Data.org |website=fr.climate-data.org |access-date=2019-01-30}}</ref> with a mean annual temperature of 14.6&nbsp;°C (1948–1999). The summers are warm and moderately dry, with seasonal averages between 22&nbsp;°C and 24&nbsp;°C, and cool to mild winters with a mean temperature of about 7&nbsp;°C. The city is constantly, but especially in the winter months, subject to the influence of the [[mistral (wind)|mistral]], a cold wind which can cause sudden and severe frosts. Rainfall (636&nbsp;mm per year) is fairly evenly distributed from September to May, with the summer drought being less marked than in other Mediterranean areas.<ref>The table contains the temperatures and precipitation of the city of Arles for the period 1948-1999, extracted from the site [https://web.archive.org/web/20080502175825/http://sophy.u-3mrs.fr/poscli/B118.html Sophy.u-3mrs.fr].</ref>

{{Weather box|location = Arles (1991–2020 averages, extremes 1963–present)
|collapsed = 
|metric first = y
|single line = y
|Jan record high C = 21.0
|Feb record high C = 23.1
|Mar record high C = 25.7
|Apr record high C = 29.3
|May record high C = 33.0
|Jun record high C = 42.8
|Jul record high C = 37.7
|Aug record high C = 38.7
|Sep record high C = 33.8
|Oct record high C = 31.5
|Nov record high C = 25.0
|Dec record high C = 20.0
|year record high C = 42.8
|Jan high C = 11.3
|Feb high C = 12.5
|Mar high C = 16.2
|Apr high C = 18.9
|May high C = 22.8
|Jun high C = 27.1
|Jul high C = 29.8
|Aug high C = 29.6
|Sep high C = 25.3
|Oct high C = 20.7
|Nov high C = 15.2
|Dec high C = 11.9
|year high C = 20.1
|Jan mean C = 7.3
|Feb mean C = 8.0
|Mar mean C = 11.2
|Apr mean C = 13.8
|May mean C = 17.6
|Jun mean C = 21.5
|Jul mean C = 23.9
|Aug mean C = 23.7
|Sep mean C = 19.8
|Oct mean C = 16.2
|Nov mean C = 11.2
|Dec mean C = 7.9
|year mean C = 15.2
|Jan low C = 3.4
|Feb low C = 3.4
|Mar low C = 6.1
|Apr low C = 8.7
|May low C = 12.4
|Jun low C = 16.0
|Jul low C = 18.0
|Aug low C = 17.7
|Sep low C = 14.4
|Oct low C = 11.6
|Nov low C = 7.3
|Dec low C = 4.0
|year low C = 10.3
|Jan record low C = -10.6
|Feb record low C = -12.0
|Mar record low C = -7.3
|Apr record low C = -1.7
|May record low C = 2.2
|Jun record low C = 6.0
|Jul record low C = 9.7
|Aug record low C = 8.5
|Sep record low C = 5.5
|Oct record low C = 0.3
|Nov record low C = -7.4
|Dec record low C = -6.4
|year record low C = -12.0
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 53.5
|Feb precipitation mm = 33.3
|Mar precipitation mm = 33.9
|Apr precipitation mm = 57.3
|May precipitation mm = 40.1
|Jun precipitation mm = 27.0
|Jul precipitation mm = 12.9
|Aug precipitation mm = 26.9
|Sep precipitation mm = 83.7
|Oct precipitation mm = 80.9
|Nov precipitation mm = 76.5
|Dec precipitation mm = 43.6
|year precipitation mm = 569.6
|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
|Jan precipitation days = 5.1
|Feb precipitation days = 4.2
|Mar precipitation days = 4.5
|Apr precipitation days = 5.6
|May precipitation days = 4.8
|Jun precipitation days = 2.9
|Jul precipitation days = 2.0
|Aug precipitation days = 2.4
|Sep precipitation days = 4.8
|Oct precipitation days = 5.7
|Nov precipitation days = 7.0
|Dec precipitation days = 5.4
|year precipitation days = 54.3
|source 1 = [[Météo France]]<ref>{{cite web |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180330193421/https://donneespubliques.meteofrance.fr/FichesClim/FICHECLIM_13004003.pdf |archive-date = 30 March 2018 |url = https://donneespubliques.meteofrance.fr/FichesClim/FICHECLIM_13004003.pdf |title = Arles (13) |work = Fiche Climatologique: Statistiques 1981–2010 et records |publisher = Meteo France |language = fr |access-date = 30 March 2018}}</ref>
}}

==Population==
The population data in the table and graph below refer to the commune of Arles proper, in its geography at the given years. The commune of Arles ceded part of its territory to the new commune of [[Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône]] in 1904, and to the new commune of [[Saint-Martin-de-Crau]] in 1925.<ref name=ehess/>

{{Historical populations
|align = none
|cols = 2
|percentages = pagr
|source = EHESS<ref name=ehess>{{Cassini-Ehess|1256|Arles}}</ref> and INSEE (1968-2023)<ref name=pophist>[https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/8643952?geo=COM-13004#tableau-POPREF_G1 Population municipale entre 1968 et 2023], INSEE</ref>
|graph-pos = bottom
|1793 |20000
|1800 |18470
|1806 |20151
|1821 |20150
|1831 |20236
|1836 |20048
|1841 |20460
|1846 |23101
|1851 |23208
|1856 |24816
|1861 |25543
|1866 |26367
|1872 |24695
|1876 |25095
|1881 |23480
|1886 |23491
|1891 |24288
|1896 |24567
|1901 |29314
|1906 |28116
|1911 |31010
|1921 |31014
|1926 |29146
|1931 |32485
|1936 |29165
|1946 |35017
|1954 |37443
|1962 |41932
|1968 |45774
|1975 |50059
|1982 |50500
|1990 |52058
|1999 |50426
|2007 |52197
|2012 |52439
|2017 |52548
|2023 |51811
}}

==Main sights==
[[File:Arles,Théâtre Antique1.jpg|thumb|The [[Roman Theatre of Arles|Theatre of Arles]], a 1st-century [[Roman theatre (structure)|Roman theatre]], built during the reign of [[Caesar Augustus]]]]
[[File:Les Alyscamps.JPG|thumb|The [[Alyscamps]], a Roman [[necropolis]]]]

Arles has important Roman remnants, most of which have been listed as [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]]s since 1981 within the [[Arles, Roman and Romanesque Monuments]] group. They include:
* The [[Roman Theatre of Arles]]
* [[Arles Amphitheatre|The arena or amphitheatre]]
* [[Alyscamps|The Alyscamps]] (Roman [[necropolis]])
* The [[Thermae]] of Constantine
* The [[cryptoporticus]]
* [[Obélisque d'Arles|Arles Obelisk]]
* [[Barbegal aqueduct and mill]]
* The [[Church of St. Trophime]] ([[Saint Trophimus]]), formerly a cathedral, is a major work of [[Romanesque architecture]], and the representation of the [[Last Judgment]] on its portal is considered one of the finest examples of Romanesque sculpture, as are the columns in the adjacent [[cloister]].

The town also has a museum of ancient history, the [[Musée de l'Arles et de la Provence antiques]], with one of the best collections of Roman [[sarcophagi]] to be found anywhere outside Rome itself. Other museums include the [[Musée Réattu]] and the [[Museon Arlaten]].

The courtyard of the Old Arles hospital, now named "Espace Van Gogh," is a center for Vincent van Gogh's works, several of which are masterpieces.<ref name=Fodor>Fisher, R, ed (2011). [https://books.google.com/books?id=jcxmw4ODZlcC Fodor's France 2011]. Toronto and New York: Fodor's Travel, division of Random House.  p. 563 {{ISBN|978-1-4000-0473-7}}.</ref> The garden, framed on all four sides by buildings of the complex, is approached through arcades on the first floor. A circulation gallery is located on the first and second floors.<ref name=ArlesTourism>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110904084118/http://www.arles-tourisme.com/en_GB/Ville_lieuxAVisiter.aspx?Part=Arles "Espace Van Gogh"]. Visiter, Places of Interest. Arles Office de Tourisme.  Retrieved 2011-04-29.</ref>

The [[LUMA Tower]] is a 56-meter tall construction, the center of the [[LUMA Arles]] arts center.

==Archaeology==
{{Main|Arles portrait bust}}
[[File:Presumed bust of caesar-RHO.2007.05.1939-IMG 9291-gradient.jpg|thumb|The [[Arles portrait bust]], possibly of [[Julius Caesar]] c. 1st century BC]]

In September–October 2007, divers led by Lucas Longas from the French Department of Subaquatic Archaeological Research, headed by Michel L'Hour, discovered a life-sized marble bust of an apparently important Roman person in the [[Rhône]] near Arles, together with smaller statues of [[Marsyas]] in Hellenistic style and of the god [[Neptune (mythology)|Neptune]] from the third century AD. The larger bust was tentatively dated to 46 BC. Since the bust displayed several characteristics of an ageing person with wrinkles, deep naso-labial creases and hollows in his face, and since the archaeologists believed that [[Julius Caesar]] had founded the colony ''Colonia Iulia Paterna Arelate Sextanorum'' in 46 BC, the scientists came to the preliminary conclusion that the bust depicted a life-portrait of the Roman dictator: France's Minister of Culture [[Christine Albanel]] reported on 13 May 2008 that the bust would be the oldest representation of Caesar known today.<ref>[http://www.culture.gouv.fr/culture/actualites/communiq/albanel/cesarles08.htm Original communiqué] (13 May 2008); [http://www.culture.gouv.fr/culture/actualites/communiq/albanel/arles200508.htm second communiqué] (20 May 2008); [http://www.culture.gouv.fr/culture/actualites/index-com.html report] (20 May 2008)</ref> The story was picked up by all larger media outlets.<ref>E.g.{{cite web |url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/05/14/caesar.bust.ap/index.html |title=Divers find marble bust of Caesar that may date to 46 B.C. |website=[[CNN]] |access-date=2008-05-14 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080605231523/http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/05/14/caesar.bust.ap/index.html |archive-date=2008-06-05 }}, CNN-Online ''et al.''</ref><ref>[http://programmes.france3.fr/des-racines-et-des-ailes/index-fr.php?page=emission&id_article=89 Video (QuickTime)] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080528215723/http://programmes.france3.fr/des-racines-et-des-ailes/index-fr.php?page=emission&id_article=89 |date=28 May 2008 }} on the archaeological find (France 3)</ref> The realism of the portrait was said to place it in the tradition of late Republican portrait and genre sculptures. The archaeologists further claimed that a bust of Julius Caesar might have been thrown away or discreetly disposed of, because Caesar's portraits could have been viewed as politically dangerous possessions after the dictator's assassination.

Historians and archaeologists not affiliated with the French administration, among them Paul Zanker, an archaeologist and expert on Caesar and [[Augustus]], were quick to question whether the bust is a portrait of Caesar.<ref>Paul Zanker, [http://www.sueddeutsche.de/,ra16m1/wissen/special/67/174544/index.html/wissen/artikel/74/176540/article.html "Der Echte war energischer, distanzierter, ironischer"]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080529012528/http://www.sueddeutsche.de/%2Cra16m1/wissen/special/67/174544/index.html/wissen/artikel/74/176540/article.html |date=29 May 2008 }}, ''Sueddeutsche Zeitung'', 25 May 2008, on-line</ref><ref>[[Mary Beard (classicist)|Mary Beard]], [http://timesonline.typepad.com/dons_life/2008/05/the-face-of-jul.html"The face of Julius Caesar? Come off it!"], [[Times Literary Supplement|''TLS'']], 14 May 2008, on-line {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090321124022/http://timesonline.typepad.com/dons_life/2008/05/the-face-of-jul.html |date=21 March 2009 }}</ref><ref>Nathan T. Elkins, [https://coinarchaeology.blogspot.com/2008/05/oldest-bust-of-julius-caesar-found-in.html 'Oldest Bust' of Julius Caesar found in France?], 14 May 2008, on-line</ref> Many noted the lack of resemblances to Caesar's likenesses issued on coins during the last years of the dictator's life, and to the [[Tusculum]] bust of Caesar,<ref>Cp. this [http://www.aeria.phil.uni-erlangen.de/photo_html/portraet/roemisch/republik/benannt/caesar/caesar5.JPG image] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081218040911/http://www.aeria.phil.uni-erlangen.de/photo_html/portraet/roemisch/republik/benannt/caesar/caesar5.JPG |date=18 December 2008 }} at the ''AERIA'' library</ref> which depicts Julius Caesar in his lifetime, either as a so-called ''zeitgesicht'' or as a direct portrait. After a further stylistic assessment, Zanker dated the Arles-bust to the Augustan period. Elkins argued for the third century AD as the ''terminus post quem'' for the deposition of the statues, refuting the claim that the bust was thrown away due to feared repercussions from Caesar's assassination in 44 BC.<ref>A different approach was presented by Mary Beard, in that members of a military Caesarian colony would not have discarded portraits of Caesar, whom they worshipped as god, although statues were in fact destroyed by the Anti-Caesarians in the city of Rome after Caesar's assassination ([[Appian]], ''BC'' III.1.9).</ref> The main argument by the French archaeologists that Caesar had founded the colony in 46 BC proved to be incorrect, as the colony was founded by Caesar's former [[quaestor]] [[Tiberius Claudius Nero (father of Tiberius Caesar)|Tiberius Claudius Nero]] on the dictator's orders in his absence.<ref>Konrat Ziegler & Walther Sontheimer (eds.), "Arelate", in ''Der Kleine Pauly: Lexikon der Antike'', Vol. 1, col. 525, Munich 1979; in 46 BC, Caesar himself was campaigning in Africa, before later returning to Rome.</ref> [[Mary Beard (classicist)|Mary Beard]] has accused the persons involved in the find of having willfully invented their claims for publicity reasons. The French ministry of culture has not yet responded to the criticism and negative reviews.

==Sport==
[[AC Arles-Avignon]] was a professional French football team. They previously played in Championnat de France Amateur, the fourth division in French football, but were dissolved in 2016. They play at the [[Parc des Sports (Avignon)|Parc des Sports]], which has a capacity of just over 17,000.

==Culture==
[[File:Van Gogh - Terrace of a Café at Night (Place du Forum) 1888.jpg|thumb|upright|''[[Cafe Terrace at Night]]'' by [[Vincent van Gogh]] (September 1888) depicts the warmth of a café in Arles.]]

===Photography festival===
A well known photography festival, [[Rencontres d'Arles]], takes place in Arles every year.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Les Rencontres d'Arles - About the Festival |url=https://www.rencontres-arles.com/ |url-status=live |access-date=2021-08-06 |website=Rencontres-arles.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020419070640/http://www.rencontres-arles.com:80/ |archive-date=2002-04-19 }}</ref>

===Publishing===
The major French publishing house [[Actes Sud]] is also situated in Arles.

===Foundations===
In the past years, several cultural organizations have set up a presence in Arles, such as the [[LUMA Foundation]], the ''[[Fondation Vincent van Gogh Arles]]'', the [[Manuel Rivera-Ortiz Foundation]] or the [[Lee Ufan]] Foundation.<ref name="larpenteur">{{Cite web |url=http://scerri6.wixsite.com/lartpenteur/single-post/2018/01/06/Arles-Lee-Ufan |title=Arles: Lee Ufan va créer une nouvelle fondation d'art contemporain |date=6 January 2018 |publisher=L'AR(T)PENTEUR |access-date=2018-05-19}}</ref> On top of that, there are countless galleries scattered throughout the city.

===Bullfights===
[[Bullfighting|Bullfight]]s are conducted in the [[Arles Amphitheatre|amphitheatre]], including Provençal-style bullfights (''courses camarguaises'') in which the bull is not killed, but rather a team of athletic men attempt to remove a tassle from the bull's horn without getting injured. Every Easter and on the first weekend of September, during the [[Feria d'Arles|feria]], Arles also holds Spanish-style ''[[bullfighting|corridas]]'' (in which the bulls are killed) with an ''[[encierro]]'' (bull-running in the streets) preceding each fight.

===European Capital of Culture===
Arles played a major role in [[Marseille-Provence 2013]], the year-long series of cultural events held in the region after it was designated the [[European Capital of Culture]] for 2013. The city hosted a segment of the opening ceremony with a pyrotechnical performance by Groupe F on the banks of the Rhône. It also unveiled the new wing of the Musée Départemental Arles Antique as part of Marseille-Provence 2013.

==Economy==
Arles's open-air street market is a major market in the region. It takes place on Saturday and Wednesday mornings.

==Transport==
[[File:Façade de la gare d'Arles.jpg|thumb|The [[Gare d'Arles]], the city's train station]]

The [[Gare d'Arles]] railway station offers connections to [[Avignon]], [[Nîmes]], [[Marseille]], [[Paris]], [[Bordeaux]] and several regional destinations.

Arles does not have its own commercial airport, but is served by a number of airports in the region, most notably the major international airport of [[Marseille Provence Airport|Marseille Provence]] approximately an hour's drive away.

The [[A54 autoroute]] toll motorway, which locally connects [[Salon-de-Provence]] with [[Nîmes]] and in a wider sense forms part of [[European route E80]], passes by Arles.

[[File:P1060573 Arles port rwk.jpg|thumb|The Port of Arles links the  [[Rhône]] river with the [[Mediterranean Sea]]]]

The [[Rhône]], which for navigation purposes is classified as a [[Classification of European Inland Waterways|Class V waterway]] as far upstream as [[Lyon]], is a historically important transport route connecting the inland [[Rhône-Alpes]] region with the [[Mediterranean Sea]]. The port of Arles and its adjacent rail and road connections provides a major [[transshipment]] node, which in 2013 handled approximately 450,000 tonnes of goods.<ref>{{cite web |title=Le port d'Arles |url=http://www.arles.cci.fr/le-port-darles/ |website=CCI du Pays d'Arles |access-date=11 June 2018}}</ref>

==Notable people==
[[File:Vincent van Gogh, Ploughman in the Fields near Arles, 1888, NGA 76291.jpg|alt=pen and ink drawing of a ploughman in a field near Arles, by Vincent Van Gogh|thumb|''Ploughman in the Fields near Arles'' (1888) by Vincent Van Gogh, [[National Gallery of Art]]]]
* Nicolas Reyes, [[Gipsy Kings]] musician.
* [[Pope Adrian IV|Nicholas Breakspear]], the English born [[pope]] was educated in the town.
* [[Jacques-Marie d'Amboise]] (1538-1611), French hellenist
* [[Gerson ben Solomon Catalan]], 13th century [[Hebrews|Hebrew]] encyclopedist and scientist
* [[Kalonymus ben Kalonymus]] (1286-1328), Jewish scholar and philosopher, Arles born, active during the Middle Ages.
* [[Ismaël Bennacer]] (1997-), footballer
* [[Jenny Berthelius]] (1923-2019), Swedish crime novelist and children's writer, lived in Arles<ref name="nordicwomensliterature.net">{{cite web |url=https://nordicwomensliterature.net/writers/berthelius-jenny/ |title=Berthelius, Jenny |publisher=Nordic Women's Literature |access-date=30 November 2017}}</ref>
* [[Caesarius of Arles|Saint Caesarius of Arles]], bishop who lived from the late 5th to the mid 6th century, known for prophecy and writings that would later be used by theologians such as St. Thomas Aquinas
* [[Jeanne Calment]] (1875–1997), the [[Oldest people|oldest human being]] whose age is documented, was born, lived, died (aged 122 years and 164 days) and was buried, in Arles
* [[Djibril Cissé]] (1981-), footballer
* [[Lucien Clergue]] (1934-2014), photographer
* [[Anne-Marie David]], singer (Eurovision winner in [[Eurovision Song Contest 1973|1973]])
* The medieval writer [[Antoine de la Sale]] was probably born in Arles around 1386
* [[Antoine de Seguiran]], 18th-century [[Encyclopédistes|encyclopédiste]]
* [[Beatification|Blessed]] [[Jean Marie du Lau]], last [[Archbishop of Arles]], killed by the revolutionary mob in Paris on 2 September 1792
* [[Laure Favre-Kahn]] (born 1976), classical pianist
* Home of the [[Gipsy Kings]], a music group from Arles
* [[Gaël Givet]] (born 1981), footballer
* [[Serhou Guirassy]] (born 1996), footballer
* [[Genesius of Arles]], a [[Civil law notary|notary]] [[martyred]] under [[Maximian]]us in 303 or 308
* [[Luc Hoffmann]], ornithologist, conservationist and philanthropist.
* [[Maja Hoffmann]], art patron
* [[Samuel ibn Tibbon]], Jewish translator and scholar during the Middle Ages.
* Juan Bautista (real name Jean-Baptiste Jalabert), [[matador]]
* [[Christian Lacroix]] (born 1951), fashion designer
* The Provençal poet [[Frédéric Mistral]] (1830–1914) was born near Arles
* [[Lloyd Palun]] (born 1988), footballer
* Major-General [[Hugh Anthony Prince]], CBE, Indian Army and British Army officer
* Mehdi Savalli, matador
* [[Fanny Valette]] (born 1986), actress
* [[Vincent van Gogh]], lived here from February 1888 until May 1889.
* [[Favorinus]]

== Twin towns – sister cities ==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in France}}

Arles is [[Sister city|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web |title=Le jumelage|url=https://www.ville-arles.fr/mairie/cooperation-mairie/jumelage-mairie/le-jumelage.php|website=ville-arles.fr|publisher=Arles|language=fr|access-date=2021-04-24}}</ref>

{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
* {{flagicon|GER}} [[Fulda]], Germany
* {{flagicon|ESP}} [[Jerez de la Frontera]], Spain
* {{flagicon|GRC}} [[Kalymnos]], Greece
* {{flagicon|RUS}} [[Pskov]], Russia
* {{flagicon|MRT}} [[Sagne, Mauritania|Sagne]], Mauritania
* {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Vercelli]], Italy
* {{flagicon|BEL}} [[Verviers]], Belgium
* {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Wisbech]], England, United Kingdom
* {{flagicon|USA}} [[York, Pennsylvania|York]], United States
* {{flagicon|MAS}} [[George Town, Penang|George Town]], Malaysia
{{div col end}}

== In pop-culture ==

* The colosseum in Arles was the setting for a tense series of scenes in the [[Ronin (film)|film ''Ronin'' (1998)]].
* Arles is the location for the famous Vincent Van-Gogh painting; '[[Café Terrace at Night|Cafe Terrace at Night]]'.

==See also==
* [[Communes of the Bouches-du-Rhône department]]
* [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Arles]]
* [[L'Arlésienne (Bizet)|''L'Arlésienne'' ("Woman of Arles")]]
* [[Langlois Bridge]]
* [[Montmajour Abbey]]
* [[Saint-Césaire Convent]]
* [[Trinquetaille]]
* ''[[Venus of Arles]]''

== Citations ==
{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}
{{reflist|30em}}

== General bibliography  ==
{{refbegin}}
* {{Catholic|wstitle=Archdiocese of Aix}}
* {{Cite book |last=Delamarre |first=Xavier |title=Dictionnaire de la langue gauloise: Une approche linguistique du vieux-celtique continental |year=2003 |publisher=Errance |isbn=9782877723695 |author-link=Xavier Delamarre}}
* {{cite book |last=Lewis |first=Archibal R. |title=The Development of Southern French and Catalan Society, 718-1050 |publisher=University of Texas Press |year=1965 }}
* {{Cite book |last=Nègre |first=Ernest |title=Toponymie générale de la France |year=1990 |publisher=Librairie Droz |isbn=978-2-600-02883-7 |author-link=Ernest Nègre}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Arles}}
{{Wikivoyage}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060716125257/http://www.tourisme.ville-arles.fr/ Tourist office website]
* [http://www.arles-guide.com/ Arles City Guide] {{in lang|en}}
* [http://www.patrimoine.ville-arles.fr/ Arles heritage website] {{in lang|fr}}
* [http://www.ville-arles.fr/ Town council website] {{in lang|fr}}
* [http://www.vggallery.com/ The Complete Works of Van Gogh, Arles]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080828052706/http://www.claudetravels.altervista.org/VdR/Arles/gal.html Photogallery of Arles]
* [http://www.beyond.fr/villages/arles-provence-france.html Information and photos from ProvenceBeyond website]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070928030138/http://www.oldstratforduponavon.com/arles Old Postcards of Arles]

{{Bouches-du-Rhône communes}}
{{World Heritage Sites in France}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:Arles| ]]
[[Category:Archaeological sites in France]]
[[Category:Artist colonies in France]]
[[Category:Communes of Bouches-du-Rhône]]
[[Category:Roman towns and cities in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur]]
[[Category:Romanesque architecture in Provence]]
[[Category:Subprefectures in France]]
[[Category:Populated places on the Rhône]]
[[Category:Populated riverside places in France]]