A Tour Through Old Provence

Part 10

Chapter 102,462 wordsPublic domain

the walls of its beautiful porch abandoned to the bill-poster, and its steps and floor to the village children. All the way up this white road there are ancient bits of masonry utilised in modern building, and many other evidences of the Roman occupation. Here, by the roadside, there is a curious deep well, with the mouth protected by four great slabs of stone set on end forming a rough but solid parapet; a tall stone stands up on end beside the others, and through a hole in it a branch of a tree is thrust, from which is suspended the pulley-wheel and rope to lower the bucket into the waters below. Two great troughs carved out of solid stone lie by the side ready for use as washtubs. They look like tombs from the Alyscamps at Arles, or possibly some other ancient burial-ground. Who can say?

All the little homesteads have small patios in front or at the sides of them; vines trail up the columns that support the lean-to roofs, columns that are either of Roman workmanship or imitations, but the ancient character is well preserved. About a mile up this road are two monuments of the earliest Roman time; grey as the hills that form a background to them, delicate in contrast to nature’s rugged sculptures, they are memorials of the skill of hands whose work was finished two thousand years ago. The sculptors have been lavish of their time and talents, and although the freshness of their delicate and bold carvings has worn off, time has softened and mellowed them, even as it does a refined or noble human face. The smaller monument is a specimen of a triumphal arch, much damaged, but what remains is more beautiful in its proportions and simplicity than many of the larger triumphal arches found in Provence.

The other monument, the tomb of the Julii, has an inscription on the architrave of the second story,--SEX. L. M. JULIEI. C. F. PARENTIBUS. SUEIS. which translated means that the monument was raised to the memory of their parents by Sextus, Lucius, and Marcus Julii, the sons of Caius. It is a mausoleum of exquisite symmetry and distinction; on the square base two bas-reliefs of battle and hunting scenes indicate that Caius was a warrior who was no less distinguished in the chase than on the battle-field. The second story is a square turret which has four niches, and is enriched with fluted columns at each corner; the entablature above is embellished with mouldings and ornament and surmounted by a small circular turret, with ten fluted Corinthian columns, inside of which are two statues wanting the heads. The amount of well-considered ornament lavished upon these memorials, one of victories accomplished, the other of the highly honoured dead, is an eloquent tribute to the sentiments that animated the Romans as well as to the distinction and skill of their artists.

These two solitary monuments are all that remain of the ancient city, but they stand steadfast at the foot of the rugged hills, the faithful sentinels of a vanished empire. Far removed from the busy life of cities to-day, they have known in the past the pressure of the multitude and the noisy hum of humankind, for the ancient town nestled around them on all sides.

How it happened that the Visigoths, who in the fifth century destroyed the Roman city, allowed the arch to remain, is one of those puzzles that never will be solved; for on the two sides of the triumphal arch their ancestors are represented as captives led in chains. Works of art, precious and beautiful, had no influence to stay their devastating hand; culture made no appeal to their rugged natures, for in their rage against their persecuting masters they razed to the ground works of fine art and beauty that were the pride and glory of the greatest Empire the world has ever seen.

INDEX TO ILLUSTRATIONS

Alyscamps at Arles, Tombs in the, 176, 203

ARLES, 213; The Town Hall, 177; The Arena, 179; Type, 188; The Roman Theatre, 194, 204; Greek Type, 197; In a Café, 200; St. Honorat, 205; Constantine’s Palace, 208; The Alyscamps, 203; Doorway, 209; A Well, 214; Woman of, 240

Augustus, Gate of, Nîmes, 237

AVIGNON, _Frontispiece_; Papal Palace, 14, 27, 43; A Tiny Homestead, 17; A Farmhouse near, 19; Pont St. Benezet, 32, 34; Ramparts, 36; A Countryman, 39; The Palace of the Popes, 49; Types, 59, 66, 69; St. Didimus, 61

BAUX, LES, 128; The Castle, 129; The Pavilion of Queen Jeanne, 141; The Church, 145; The Mansion of the Manvilles, 147; A Window at, 149; The Postern, 116, 155

CARPENTRAS, Street Steps in, 64; Cathedral of St. Siffrein, 267; Notre Dame, 268; The Porte de Orange, 269; The Arch, 271

Carrée, The Maison, Nîmes, 225

Cathedral, Avignon, 27; Nîmes, 243; St. Siffrein, 267

CHARTREUSE, Gateway of Monastery, 89; The Fountain in the Cloisters, 91

CLANUM, A Well near, 278; The Trumphal Arch and Tomb at, 281

Constantine’s Palace, Arles, 208

Daudet’s Windmill, Les Baux, 135

Diana, The Ruined Temple of, Nîmes, 233

Jeanne, The Pavilion of Queen, Les Baux, 141

Julii, Tomb of the, 279

Magne, The Tour, Nîmes, 239

Manvilles, The Mansion of the, Les Baux, 147

MONTMAJOUR, 144, 163, 171; On the Road to, 153; Chapel of Ste. Croix-en-Jerusalem, 160; The Monastery, 166, 169

NÎMES, Arches of the Arena, 181; Arena, 185, 229; Arcade, 191; Street in, 220; Roasting at, 221; The Maison Carrée, 225; A Shoeblack at, 227; The Venus of, 231; The Ruined Temple of Diana, 233; Holy Orders, 236; Gate of Augustus, 237; The Tour Magne, 239; Frieze of 12th Century on the Cathedral, 240

Nostradamus, Fountain to, 273

ORANGE, 45; An Old Courtyard, 23; The Arch at, 254; The Town Hall, 255; Old Houses at, 257; The Theatre, 259, 261; The Protestant Church, 263; The Porte de Orange, Carpentras, 269; In a Café, 282

Palace of the Popes, The, Avignon, 49

Papal Palace from the River, Avignon, 14, 27, 43; The Silver Bell, 53; Front Entrance to, 57

Philip the Fair, Tower of, Villeneuve, 77; Window-seat in the, 82

Pied de Sanglier, The, 223

Pont-du-Gard, 249; An Old Water-mill near the, 247

Remoulins, 246

Renard, Church at Château, 133; A Street in, 137

René Castle, King, 103, 107

Rhone, 71, 72; Boats on the, 71

St. André, Fort, 83

St. Benezet, Avignon, Interior of Chapel of, 48

St. Benezet, Pont, 32, 34

Ste. Croix-en-Jerusalem, Chapel of, 160

St. Didimus, Avignon, 61

St. Honorat, Arles, 205

St. Martha’s, Tarascon, 113

St. Remy, Fountain to Nostradamus at, 273; Our Lady of Pity, 277

St. Siffrein, Cathedral of, 267

“Tarasc,” The, 119

TARASCON, A Gateway, 80, 99; A Bar in, 101; An Old Garden in, 109; St. Marthas, 113; A Street in, 121

Ventoux from Carpentras, Mount, 15

VILLENEUVE, Tower of Philip the Fair, 77, 82; A Hill-top, 79; A Street in, 85

INDEX

Agrippa, 220

Agrippa, Marcus Vispanius, 223

Ahenobarbus, Domitius, 256

Aix, 117

Albi, 38

Alix, Princess, 153

Alphonse of Aragon, Duke, 102

Alpilles, Les (Little Alps), 127

Alyscamps, The, 202

Amphitheatre of Arles, 180

Andrew, son of Carobert, King of Hungary, 21, 22

Arausio, 258

Arles, 175; legend of the betrothal feast given by King Nannos, 176; amphitheatre built, 179; discovery of the Venus of Arles, 183; removal of the town from the arena, 188; gladiators encouraged by Julius Cæsar, 190; restoring of the ruined theatre, 194; theatres of the Greeks, 195; tombs found in the Alyscamps, 198; inscriptions on tombs, 199; tomb of Julia Tyrannia, 199; rebuilding of the Church of St. Honorat, 203; the Cathedral of St. Trophimus built in the twelfth century, 206; the monster “Tarasque,” 207; the combining of Pagan and Christian arts and religions, 208; obelisk found in the ancient Roman circus, 211; the Place du Forum, 212; Mistral the poet, 213, 214

Arnaud, 140

Auguste, Porte d’, 237

Avignon (City of the Popes), or Avenio, 13; “Babylonish Captivity,” the, 15; threatened by Romans, 24; Roman monuments, 25; setting up of a Republic, 26; paintings and frescoes, 29; legend of the Bridge of Avignon, 34, 35; siege in 1226, 37; conflict of the faiths, 38; Raymond humiliated, 39; re-excommunication of Raymond, 40; work of restoration, 44; restoration of paintings of the fourteenth century, 48; restoration of pictures, sculpture, and buildings, 49, 50, 51; main door to chapel unearthed, 51; soldiers sent by Charles V. to drive Pierre de Luna from the place, 56; fortress stormed by King’s troops, 57; gunpowder treason, 58; massacre in the Glacière, 59, 63; the White Terror of 1815, 64; revolutionists of the South, 62; garrison of the Republicans shot down by Royalist Volunteers, 63; Marshal Brune shot, 65; Place de l’Hôtel de Ville, 71

Barthelasse, 31, 72

Baux, Les, 127; the approach over Les Alpilles, 127; canal dug across La Crau, 130; restoration of the Château in 1444, 133; Langue d’Oc, or Provençal, used until well on into the fifteenth century, 134; romance of a Jongleur, 136; Court of Queen Jeanne, where women were judges, 141; Guillaume de

Cabestan slain by Raymond, 144; excavations made in crypt of the Church of St. Vincent, 145; origin of the name of Porcelets, 151; Grotto of the Fairies, 152; two relics of the Roman times, 254

Baux, Des, 131

Baux, Raymond de, Prince of Orange, 255

Beaucaire, Count, 111

Belvezet, Our Lady of, 87

Benedict XI., 18

Benedict XII., 43

Benedict XIII. (Pierre de Luna), 56, 266

Bérengère, Princess, 142

Bernas, Jacques, 269

Bertrand de Goth, d’Agoust, Archbishop of Bordeaux, 18

Boucicaut, Marshal, 56

Brune, Marshal, 65

Cabestan, Guillaume de, 142, 144

Cæsar, Julius, 257

Caius, 224, 280

Calvert Museum, 25

Camargue, La, 202

Carpentras, 63, 265

Cavalier Mountain, 219

Charlemagne, 160

Charles I. of Anjou, 21

Charles VI., 237

Charles IX., 204

Chevaliers, Hall of the, 83

Choisi, General, 60

Claud, Archbishop of Turin, 37

Claud II., 150

Clement V., 18, 21, 265

Clement VI., 22, 43, 55

Coupetête, Jourdain, 59

Crau, La, 128, 130

“Crucifixion,” 52

Daniel, 140

Daudet, 97

Diana, Temple of, 235

Durazzo, Charles, Duke of, 24

Église de l’Observance, 270

Escuyer, L’, 60

Fairies, Grotto of the, 152

Feuchiers, Boulevard, 245

Flouquet, 140

Forum, Place du, 215

Garde Robe, 48

Geoffrey VI., 168

Glanum Livii, 275

Gregory XI., 56

Grottes, Rue des, Avignon, 25

Henry IV., 240

“Holy Cross,” Chapel of the, 159, 162

Innocent III., Pope, 38

Innocent VI., 88

Joanna, 21, 23

John XXII., Pope (Jacques d’Euse), 30

Jongleurs, 136

Jourdain (Coupetête), 59, 60

Julii, 280

Languedoc, 88

Lapidaire, Musée, 232

“Last Judgment,” 52

Laval, Jean de, 133

Leibulfe, Count, 132

Louis of Hungary, 22

Louis XI., 123

Louis XIV., 225, 259

Louis XVI., 164

Lucius, 224

Massilia (Marseilles), 175

Manvilles, Hôtel de, 150

Maries, Les, 154

Marius, 257

Martel, Charles, 160, 229

Mignard, 268

Monaco, Hôtel, or Monte Carlo, Hôtel de, 146

Montmajour, 159; dedication of the Chapel of the Holy Cross by Charlemagne, 159; outbreak of the Revolution, 164; Confessional of St. Trophimus, 165; customary offering of sturgeon to Geoffrey VI., 168; Benedictine Monastery of, 171; legend of the foundation of the Monastery, 172

Montmorency, Château de, 105

Nannos, King (Nan), 176

Napoleon, 225

Nero, Claudius Tiberius, 179

Nicolète, 110

Nîmes (Nemausus), 219; the Celtic tribe conquered by the Romans, 220; baths built in the first century, 220; coins “pied du sanglier,” 222; building of Pont du Gard, 223; the great Arena erected, 224; the Maison Carrée built during the first years of Christian era, 224; Arthur Young’s description of the Maison Carrée, 226; building of town in Arena, 229; description of the Temple of Diana, 235; Tour Magne 350 feet above sea-level, 238; legend of Golden Cock, 239; customs of the evolutionary South, 245; legend of the Pont du Gard, 249

Nostradamus, 239, 275

Notre Dame des Doms, the Cathedral of, 26

Octavius, 257

Octavius, Augustus, 223

Orange, Princes of, 259

Orange, 253; the Triumphal Arch, an important monument of Roman times, 253; theories as to the origin of the Triumphal Arch, 256; stupendous wall forming back of the proscenium of Roman theatre, 259, 260; Princes of Orange converted theatre into fortress, 261; two rival Popes tried and deposed, 267; ancient bits of masonry utilised in modern buildings, 278; tomb of the Julii, 280

Orgon, 275

Palace of the Popes, 26, 44

Papal Palace, 67

Papal Throne, 29

Parrocel, 268

Penitents, Black, 62

Penitents, White, 62

Périgueux, Bishop of, 124

Peter of Castelnau, 38

Petrarch, 15

Philip the Fair of France, 16

Philippe, Louis, 89

Phoceans, 24

Pierre de Luna, 83

Pity, Our Lady of, 277

Pius, Antoninus, 224

Place Fortin, 146

Pointre, 65

Pontiff, 30

Porcelets, 150

“Prophets, The,” 52

Rambert, Abbé, 161, 166

Raymond VI., Count of Toulouse, 38

Remoulins, 246

René, Château, 98, 111

René, King (King of Naples), 100, 116, 133

Rhone Valley, 14

Richard Cœur de Lion, 140

Rioni, 67

Rocher des Doms, 31

Rock of the Doms, 26

Sacrovir, Julius, 258

St. André, Fort, 82

St. André, Fortress, 84

St. Anne, Church of, 197

St. Anthony, 90

St. Baudile, 241

St. Benezet, Bridge of, 31, 56

St. Castor, 241

St. Etienne, Church of, 203

St. Francis d’Assisi, 120

St. Fronto, 124

St. Honorat, Church of, 203

St. Martha, 28, 117

St. Martha, Church of, 115

St. Martial, Chapel of, 47

St. Paul, 241

St. Perpetué, 241

St. Pierre, Place, 25

St. Remy, 127, 276

St. Roland, Tower of, 193

St. Ruf, 28, 36

St. Trophimus, Church of, 199

Salle Brulle, 58

Salle du Garde, 108

Sebastiani, Colonel, 48

Septimus Severus, Arch of, 254

Seville, Archbishop of, 58

Suetonius, 256

Tarascon, 97; the famous Tartarin penned by Daudet banned, 98; King René involved in a series of complications, 100; marriage of King René’s daughter, 103; description of interior of Castle, 106; the story of Aucassin and Nicolète, 108; legend of the Tarasc, 115; King René’s vision, 116; St. Martha’s triumph over the Tarasc, 118; pageant prohibited in 1904, 119; reproduction of the reliquary given up in the starvation times of the great Revolution, 123

“Tarasque,” 118

Tartarin and Tarascon, 97

Theodoric, King, 189

Tiberius, 258

Toledo, Archbishop of, 58

Toulouse, 40

Trucat, 239

Turenne, Countess of, 24

Tyrannia, Julia, 199

Uzès, Duchesse d’, 228

Valdenses (Albigenses), 37

Valence, Count de, 109

Valfenier, de, 93

Vandemont, Count, 102

Vanloo, 120

Ventoux, Mount, 112

Venus of Arles, The, 183

Vidal, 140

Villegis, King, 172

Villeneuve, 31; approach to the town, 75; battlements of fortresses and castles, 75; stone seat, 81; indication of prisoners’ thoughts, 84; the Monastery of the Chartreuse founded by Innocent VI., 88; Monastery of Chartreuse destroyed by lightning, 93

Ville, Hôtel de, Orange, 262, 272

Visigoths, The, 229, 282

Voltaire, Rue, 184

Young, Arthur, 225

_Printed by Hazell, Watson & Viney, Ld., London and Aylesbury._