LES ALYSCAMPS

"Alyscamps" means "Champs-Élysées", the city of the dead in Greek mythology, in Provençal. It dates back to Roman times: it was a very large necropolis along the Via Aurelia. However, the Alyscamps became a Christian Mecca as early as the ^4th century, due to the martyrdom of Saint Genest, who was executed in 308 AD for refusing to transcribe the persecution writings of Diocletian. A church (now called Saint-Honorat) was erected in his honor at the end of the Alyscamps cemetery; and this glorious though tragic fate made important people of the region want to be buried there. This originally pagan necropolis even became, over the centuries, an essential stopover on the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela for Provencal pilgrims. It was taken over in the ^11th century by the monks of the Saint-Victor de Marseille abbey. It was first stripped of many of its sarcophagi during the Renaissance, because of the theft of these prestigious objects by powerful people, then truncated by the digging of the Craponne canal and the construction of the railroad, there remains today an alley built in the ^18th century. It is a magnificent place, which needs to be experienced rather than explained; the sarcophagi themselves are certainly not very well decorated (the most beautiful pieces are in the museum of ancient Arles), but the general atmosphere, imbued with a great spirituality, makes it an unmissable visit during which we recommend taking your time. One wanders among the broken stones, whose wear and tear caused by time has been respected, under alleys of pine trees gently shaken by a breeze, and one contemplates respectfully this multi-millennial cemetery and the memory it shelters. Van Gogh painted several superb representations of it.

The church of Saint-Honorat, who was bishop of Arles from 426 to 429, is also worth a visit: although it never reached its intended size, one can admire its Provençal Romanesque style, topped by a beautiful lantern pierced with windows reminiscent of a Roman amphitheater, and the beautiful light of its interior. Temporary exhibitions are frequently organized, which the magic of the place makes even more beautiful. In 2019, the place was used as a set for the cruise show of the Italian Haute Couture house Gucci and in 2022, the Korean artist Lee Ufan organized a fabulous exhibition of sculptures. It is an extremely atypical place, out of time. To discover absolutely, not to be missed!