Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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St. Trophime Church
Named after a third-century bishop of Arles, this church sports the finest Romanesque main
entrance I've seen anywhere.
CostandHours:
Church—free,dailyApril-Sept9:00-12:00&14:00-18:30,Oct-March
9:00-12:00 & 14:00-17:00; cloisters—€3.50, daily May-Sept 9:00-19:00, March-April and
Oct 9:00-18:00, Nov-Feb 10:00-17:00.
Self-Guided Tour:
Like a Roman triumphal arch, the church facade trumpets the
promise of Judgment Day. The tympanum (the semicircular area above the door) is filled
with Christian symbolism. Christ sits in majesty, surrounded by symbols of the four evan-
gelists: Matthew (the winged man), Mark (the winged lion), Luke (the ox), and John (the
eagle). The 12 apostles are lined up below Jesus. It's Judgment Day...some are saved, and
others aren't. Notice the condemned (on the right)—a chain gang doing a sad bunny-hop
over the fires of hell. For them, the tune trumpeted by the three angels above Christ is not a
happy one. Below the chain gang, St. Stephen is being stoned to death, with his soul leaving
through his mouth and instantly being welcomed byangels. Ride the exquisite detail back to
asimplerage.Inanilliterate medievalworld,longbeforethevividimagesofourTechnicol-
or time, this was a neon billboard over the town square.
Interior:
Justinsidethedoorontheright,achartlocatestheinteriorhighlightsandhelps
explain the carvings you just saw on the tympanum.
Tour the church counterclockwise. The tall 12th-century Romanesque nave is decorated
by a set of tapestries showing scenes from the life of Mary (17th century, from the French
town of Aubusson). Amble around the Gothic apse. Two-thirds of the way around, find the
relic chapel behind the ornate wrought-iron gate, with its fine golden boxes that hold long-
venerated bones of obscure saints. The next chapel houses the skull of St. Anthony of the
Desert, with good English explanations of this saint's importance. Several chapels down,
lookfortheearly-ChristiansarcophagusfromRomanArles(datedabout
A.D
.300)underthe
black columns. The heads were lopped off during the French Revolution.
ThischurchisastopontheancientpilgrimageroutetoSantiagodeCompostelainnorth-
westSpain.For800yearspilgrims ontheirwaytoSantiago havepausedhere...andtheystill
do today. Notice the modern-day pilgrimages advertised on the far right near the church's
entry.
Cloisters:
Leaving the church, turn left, then left again through a courtyard to enter the
adjacent cloisters.
The cloisters are worth a look only if you have a pass (enter at the far end of the court-
yard). The many small columns were scavenged from the ancient Roman theater. Enjoy the
sculpted capitals, the rounded 12th-century Romanesque arches, and the pointed 14th-cen-
tury Gothic ones. The pretty vaulted hall exhibits 17th-century tapestries showing scenes
