Arles

Arles (ancient Arelas or Arelate), city in southern France, in the Bouches-du-Rhône Department, on the River Rhône in Provence. It is a port (linked to the Mediterranean Sea by canal), and an agricultural and manufacturing centre. Products include processed food, textiles, and chemicals. Tourism is also important to the economy. Points of interest include a Roman amphitheatre, which held about 26,000 people; a Roman obelisk, retrieved from the Rhône and now in the Place de la République; the ruins of a Roman theatre in which were found many works of art, including the Venus of Arles statue (Louvre, Paris); the palace of the Roman emperor Constantine I; and the Romanesque Church of St Trophime. The Roman and Romanesque monuments of Arles were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981. Several painters, including Paul Gauguin and Vincent van Gogh, were active here.

During the 1st century bc, Arelas, as the city was then called, emerged as one of the chief commercial centres of the Roman Empire. An episcopal see from the 4th century until 1790, it was the site of several important ecclesiastical councils, including the Council of Arles (314), which condemned Donatism. After the collapse (476 ad) of the Roman Empire, Arles was seized by the Visigoths and then by the Ostrogoths. In 730, while ruled by the Merovingian dynasty, it was plundered by Muslim invaders. In 879 Arles was made the seat of the kingdom of Provence, and in 933 it became the capital of the kingdom of Arles, more often called the kingdom of Burgundy. After 1246 it was made part of Provence. Population 52,600 (2005 estimate).