Cloister Saint-Trophime in Arles visitor guide

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Visit Cloister Saint-Trophime in Arles, France

The Cloister Saint-Trophime, and the associated church Saint-Trophime, are the remaining parts of a 14th century cathedral in Arles, Provence. The cloisters are listed as a UNESCO world heritage site.

Explore the Cloister Saint-Trophime in Arles

France This Way review: the cloister of the church of Saint Trophime is an interesting and impressive examples of 12th-14th century century religious architecture that you will discover as you explore the historic centre of Arles, and well merits the entrance charge

The religious centre of Arles dates from the 9th century, and included a cathedral, the cloisters and other associated buildings to enable the bishop and the canons to operate.

The earliest parts of the structures we see today date from the 12th century, at which stage the cathedral, the bishop's palace and the cloisters were all rebuilt.

The facade of the cathedral and the romanesque galleries of the cloisters were built around the end of the 13th century, with the other two galleries of the cloisters, in the gothic style, added at the beginning of the 14th century.

The buildings then remained largely unchanged until the 17th century, at which stage a large programme of renovation and modernisation was carried out, with further renovations during the 19th century.

In recent decades a further programme of renovation has completely restored the entrance to the cathedral (now the church of Saint-Trophime) and the cloisters, to reach the impressive condition in which we see the buildings today.

It is useful to note that the cloister is not attached directly to the church as is usually the case in 12th century cloisters, but a flight of stairs separates the two structures. This is not necessarily obvious when you visit, because the cloister now has a separate and independent entrance.

The Cloister of Saint Trophime has two distinct parts - the roman style galleries and arches, identifiable by their round form, on the north and east sides, and the gothic style galleries with their pointed arches and ceilings to the south and west.

The romanesque part of the cloisters are the most impressive with numerous statues and carvings to see and admire, many representing biblical events or characters, and others that are more simple representations of foliage.

It is outside our scope to describe the cloisters in great detail but when you visit it is useful and interesting to have a broad idea of what you are looking at:

North gallery: this gallery represents the resurrection of Christ and the Saints of the town: Saint-Trophime and Saint Stephen. See in particular the large columns at each end of the north side, with their remarkable statues and reliefs of the saints.
East Gallery: the carvings here are centred around the period known as the Passion of Christ, that is, the last few days in the life of Christ
South Gallery: this gallery is dedicated to the life of Saint Trophime, using events taken from a 13th century poem about the Saint
West Gallery: rather than following a single theme, this gallery represents several different biblical events from the lives of Samson, Mary Magdalene and Saint Stephen, among others

In a room connnected to the cloisters you can see a collection of seven tapestries from the 17th century. These sizeable tapestries represent events from the First Crusade, although they are based on a later poem about the crusade, rather than historical accuracy.

Attractions nearby

As well as the Cloister Saint-Trophime and the adjacent Church Saint-Trophime, the principal monuments in Arles are the Roman monuments such as the amphitheatre and the theatre, and the art centres including the Van Gogh centre and the LUMA centre for arts. See our guide to Arles for details.

You can find more travel ideas in the Bouches-du-Rhone guide and the Provence guide.

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Church Saint-Trophime in Arles

The Church Saint-Trophime is a 12th century church in the romanesque style

Church Saint-Trophime in Arles guide

Roman Cryptoporticoes of Arles

The Roman cryptoporticoes in Arles are a 2000 year old structure built to support the forum

Roman Cryptoporticoes of Arles guide

Roman Arles

The town of Arles contains numerous Roman monuments including the famous amphitheatre

Roman Arles guide

Arles

The roman amphitheatre and the traditional pastel-painted houses in the historic centre make Arles a very pleasant town to explore

Arles guide

Antique Theatre of Arles

The Antique Theatre in Arles is an imposing theatre constructed in the Roman era

Antique Theatre of Arles guide

Fondation Vincent Van Gogh

The Fondation Vincent Van Gogh is a contemporary art gallery in Arles dedicated to the legacy of Van Gogh.

Fondation Vincent Van Gogh guide

... or see ALL recommended places to visit in Bouches-du-Rhone

The French version of this page is at Cloister Saint-Trophime in Arles (Francais)