Today's Medieval Church: St. Trophime, Arles

The former Cathedral of St. Trophime in Arles is the traditional start of one of the four pilgrimage routes from France to Santiago de Compostella. Arles is an ancient place, the site first of a Greek colony and then of a Roman colony founded by Julius Caesar. In the fourth century it served a few times as capital of the empire. So its first cathedral church was also constructed at an early date; according to tradition the first bishop was Saint Trophimus, elected in 250 AD.

The standing church was built in several stages between the late 11th century and 1465. For most of the Middle Ages Arles was part of the empire, and Frederick Barbarossa was crowned there in 1178.

The great glory of the church is the portal, built around 1180 to 1190 with truly magnificent array of Romanesque sculpture.

The tympanum. The frieze of figures is human souls being sorted into the saved and the damned.

The left side, featuring the elect.

Saints Bartholomew and Matthew.

A lion eating a man.

The right side, showing the damned led off to hell.

Angel guarding the entrance to heaven.

Daniel in the Lions' Den.

Saints John and Peter.

St. Paul

Another view of the left side. Look at the iron work on that door!

The stoning of St. Stephen, showing his soul emerging from his mouth.