Saint-Trophime cloister in Arles, Romanesque cloister in Arles, France
Saint-Trophime cloister is a rectangular courtyard about 28 m long and 25 m wide, enclosed by four covered galleries. The north and east galleries are Romanesque, with round arches on paired columns; the west and south are Gothic, with pointed ribbed vaults. A 25-step stair links it to the choir.
Construction began shortly after 1150 with the north gallery, soon followed by the east gallery. The west and south galleries were only finished at the end of the 14th century, the south under Bishop Jean de Rochechouart (1390–1398). The north and east galleries are Romanesque, the west and south Gothic. The cloister has been a classified historical monument since 1846 and part of the UNESCO listing of Arles's Roman and Romanesque monuments since 1981.
The north gallery's corner pier shows Saint Trophime flanked by Saint Peter, who according to legend sent him to evangelize Gaul, and Saint John. Between them, a bas-relief depicts the Holy Women buying spices to embalm Christ's body, with merchants counting their coins—a scene also found at Saint-Gilles and Beaucaire.
The building is centrally located in Arles and easily accessible on foot, allowing enough time to explore all four galleries. Guided tours are available regularly, and combined tickets provide access to other heritage sites throughout the city.
The cloister is not attached to the nave or the transept; it connects to the choir by a staircase of twenty-five steps. Its court measures about 28 by 25 metres, dimensions matched in Provence only at the cloisters of Thoronet, Sénanque and Montmajour. In the north gallery, the paired columns carry capitals showing the Emmaus pilgrims, one wearing a shell badge of the Compostela pilgrimage.
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