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Van Gogh-where?(1)

Van Gogh-where?(2

Visiting Arles-St.Trophime_Hotel Grand Pinus

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restaurant recommendations

Let’s pass the arena in the direction of the rue de la Calade, make a left and we stand on the place de la Republique, eye to eye with the obelisk, the hotel de ville, the church of Sainte-Anne and SAINT-TROPHIME with its cloister. 
St.Trophime is certainly not the oldest church in Arles but one of the most interesting in Provence.  The building started in the 11^th century and after a lot of construction periods, the middle nave was ready like we can see it now. Very soon after, the exuberant ornaments were added on the front portal, in a hurry, because the church had to be ready for the crowning of Frederic Barbarosssa to be king of Arles. In the middle of the 15^th century the interior surface of the church was almost doubled, when a Gothic one with a lengthy choir replaced the roman apse. Nevertheless, when you get in, you have an impression of smallness due to the fact that the height is over 20 meters. In 1840 the church was classified as “monument historique “ which leaded to renovations and cleanings in 1860 and 1968. The magnificent front portal and other sculpture groups were also thoroughly cleansed end 1993. The cloister of St.Trophime had also different building phases. Build in the 12^th and 14^th century, the first floor is the most beautiful with its late 10^th century roman galleries at the north and east side. The gothic period, like everywhere else in Provence appeared only in the 14^th century wit the building of the south and west galleries. In all these galleries the monks stored their products, their harvests, wines. Today, there are quite often temporary exhibitions to see in these galleries.

St.Trophime-pilaster and arch

From the rue de la Calade via de place de la Cour we can get to a site, never mentioned in any guide as a visiting place, bur as a recommended hotel: THE HOTEL DU GRAND PINUS. For me it’s one the sites to go and see in Arles, as well as the Theatre antique and the arenas with the very agreeable difference that you can eat and sleep very well at the place! The origins of the hotel is lost in the darkness of times but one thing is sure: Stendhal lodged here in 1838 and forgot his umbrella, Merimee stayed a night in his inspection tour of the ruins of France and Henry James---unsatisfied as he always was) in 1882. In the display windows behind the hotel hall, envelopes are conserved, addressed to F.Scott Fitzgerald, Marcel Pagnol, and Jean Cocteau, but also more contemporary French celebrities as Luis Mariano and Pierre Brasseur.  During the corrida fiesta, the first floor suites are entirely booked for the great torero stars, the hotel being also a centre of the Arlesienne “tauromachie”. It is fun to have a small aperitif during the aperitif hour at the small bar, and open wide your ears and eyes.
Coming out of the hotel, here is Van Gogh again! It’s here that he painted his famous yellow” “Café terrace at night” (Kroller-Muller museum, Otterloo) and we are confronting a praiseworthy effort to renovate the interior in its old style and décor. We can have a drink at the reconstructed terrace but the first floor is a trap: the low room is also a fine reconstruction but from another painting in another café: ”Nightcafe” like it was painted by Van Gogh in the summer of 1888 on the place Lamartine.