Arles is noted for the wealth of its Roman and Romanesque heritage. The monuments of the city listed as Unescoworld heritage monuments in 1981 include the Roman amphitheatre (the arena), the Roman theatre, the Cryptoportico (foundations of the Roman Forum), the Roman baths of Constantine, the remains of the Roman circus, the cloister and portal of St. Trophime’s, and the Alyscamp cemetery.
This cemetery was the departure point for the « Chemin d’Arles », also known as the Via Tolosana, one of the three medieval pilgrimage routes across France leading to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Along with these monuments, Arles has also preserved many lovely buildings dating from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. Since 1986, the city has joined the French network organization known as « Villes d’art et d’histoire », guaranteeing quality cultural services.
Arles has three remarkable museums :
The Musée d’Arles et de la Provence Antique, the Arles archeological museum, anchored since 1995 on the banks of the Rhone River, was built by Henri Ciriani beside the remains of the Roman circus. It contains the archeological collections of the city and the surrounding region , spanning the period from neolithic times to the end of the Roman and early Christian era.
The Museon Arlaten, the local ethnographical museum, is housed in the former Laval-Castellane town house dating from the 15th century. The museum was created in 1896 by Frederic Mistral, a regionalist poet, and exhibits costumes, furniture, tools, objects connected with local religious traditions and superstitions, illustrating life in Provence during the 19th century. .
The Musée Réattu, Donation Picasso, the fine arts museum, is housed in the former Grand Priory of the Knights of Malta. It exposes the works of Jacques Réattu, an Arlesian painter of the period of the French Revolution, 18th and 19th centuries, as well as modern and contemporary artists (Picasso, Zadkine and Alechinsky). The museum also possesses a remarkable photography collection (Henri-Cartier, Bresson, Edward Weston . . .)
