Tarascon

For the town in southwestern France, see Tarascon-sur-Ariège.

Coordinates: 43°48′21″N, 04°39′37″E

Commune of Tarascon Tarascon Castle on the Rhône River
Location
Coordinates	43°48′21″N, 04°39′37″E
Administration
Country	France
Region	Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Department	Bouches-du-Rhône
Arrondissement	Arles
Canton	Tarascon (chief town)
Intercommunality	Communauté d'agglomération Arles-Crau-Camargue-Montagnette
Mayor	Charles Fabre (2005-2008)
Statistics
Altitude	3 m–200 m (avg. 17 m)
Land area¹	73.97 km²
Population² (1999)	12,668
- Density	171/km² (1999)
Miscellaneous
INSEE/Postal code	13108/ 13150
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
2 Population sans doubles comptes: single count of residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel).

Tarascon Castle from front.

Garden inside Tarascon Castle

Model of the Tarasque

Tarascon and St. Martha's Church from top of Castle.

Tarascon, sometimes referred to as Tarascon-sur-Rhône, is a town and commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône département, in the south of France.

Geography

Tarascon is located 23 km south of Avignon and 20 km north of Arles, on the left bank of the Rhône River. On the other side is the similarly sized town of Beaucaire in the département of Gard, région of Languedoc-Roussillon. Directly opposite each other and connected by several bridges, Beaucaire and Tarascon effectively constitute one town.

Culture

A mythological monster, the Tarasque, is said to have lived there at the beginning of the 1st century. It was purportedly tamed by Martha in 48 AD. See Tarasque for the whole story and more pictures.

The novel Tartarin de Tarascon (1872) and its two sequels Tartarin sur les Alpes (1885) and Port-Tarascon (1890), by Alphonse Daudet, were set here.

Since 1985, there has been a small museum in the town, dedicated to the fictional character Tartarin.

A festival is held every year on the last Sunday of June to remember Tartarin and the Tarasque.

Highlights

The Collegiate Church

Église collégiale Ste Marthe (St Martha's Collegiate Church) is where, according to a local tradition, the biblical figure Martha is buried. The church was built half-Romanesque in the 12th century and half-Gothic in the 14th century. The crypt dates from the 3rd century.

The medieval castle

The construction of the current castle of Tarascon was started in 1401 by Louis II of Anjou, after the previous castle was destroyed. The construction was continued by his first son, Louis III of Anjou, and was completed in 1449 by his second son, René I of Naples. Thus, the castle is often referred to as le château du roi René ("King René's castle").

It was turned into a military prison in the 17th century, until its acquisition by the state in 1932.

It stands right on the banks of the Rhône opposite Beaucaire Castle, and near the Collegiate Church of St Martha. (43°48′22″N 4°39′18″E / 43.80611, 4.655 )

Other highlights include

• Historical town centre, including the rue des Halles and its arcades
• Hôtel de Ville (Town Hall) (1648)
• Cloître des Cordeliers, 16^th century cloister
• Three city gates remain from the former city wall: Portail St. Jean, Porte de la Condamine and Porte Jarnègues.
• Saint-Jacques Church (1740)
• Saint-Michel de Frigolet abbey - Catholic Encyclopedia article

Administration

Famous residents

• Esprit Fléchier (1632-1710), preacher and author, Bishop of Nîmes from 1687, spent his early years in Tarascon
• Joseph Roumanille (1818-1891), poet and one of the founders of Félibrige, studied and worked there from 1834 to 1839.

Twin towns

• Beit She'an, Israel
• Elmshorn, Germany - since 1987
• Fraga, Spain
• Neviano degli Arduini, Italy
• Porrentruy, Switzerland

See also

• Treaty of Tarascon (1291)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Tarascon

• Official city website
• Ministry of Culture database entries for Tarascon (French)
• Detailed history (click on blue links for details) (French)
• History and pictures of the castle (French)
• Webpage about the organ in St Martha Church (French)
• Pictures of the castle and church
• More pictures of the town

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