Skip to content

Happy to be Traveling

Menu
Menu

Good place to crown a king

Posted on November 10, 2024 by Grubb

The Saint-Trophime Catholic Church holds a prominent corner of the large square in the center of Arles that once was the Roman forum.  It was first constructed in the 12th century.  

Entrance to Saint-Trophime church

It was built in the Romanesque tradition as you can tell from the pillars fronting the entrance.  When it comes to medieval churches, I prefer Gothic structures with their tall pointed arches, their asymmetry, their gargoyles…. Still, inside Saint-Trophime church there are some Gothic touches, and the vaulted heavy stone arches have that impregnable medieval uplift.  

Altar of Saint-Trophime

But I have to admit, as much as these formidable fortresses of worship take me back to my youth taking part in Christmas pageants up by the altar of Rockefeller Chapel at the University of Chicago, I more and more gain an an appreciation of the simple Quaker Meeting House.  The lack of hierarchy such a place implies, unlike the priestly preserve of a cathedral, and the idea that a congregation should be able to face each other instead of being directed to look ahead and look up, well, it has a growing appeal.

1 thought on “Good place to crown a king”

  1. Henry says:
    November 11, 2024 at 3:20 pm

    Yes, the Romanesque architecture can seem heavy when compared to Gothic. But the great joy of St. Trophime is the sculpture on the west front. In general, Romanesque portal sculpture is very dramatic. They were really concerned with the saved and the damned. Hell certainly didn’t look like fun! One of the very best is the tympanum on the church of St. Foy in the little (and still picturesque) village of Conques. Not sure if it is on your proposed route, but definitely worth a detour.

    Reply

Comments welcomeCancel reply

Select Blog Topic

  • Barreling thru Belgium
  • Silently in Japan
  • Découvrir la France
  • Into Argentina and Uruguay we go
  • Road Tripping in New England
  • Sampling Scandinavia
  • Meandering in Morocco
  • Puttering through Portugal
  • San Juan Islands (WA)
  • East Coast: DC, Bethesda, Charlottesville

Recent Posts

  • Glass and Mead
    by Ella
  • Elderly mountains
    by Ella
  • West to Virginia
    by Ella
  • About those liquor laws
    by Ella
  • Into Africa
    by Ella
  • Wait…what? No wine at TJs!
    by Ella
  • A DC Day
    by Ella
  • Space, the final frontier
    by Ella
  • A brief foray eastward
    by Ella
  • Last day
    by Ella
  • Ads for an Empire
    by Grubb
  • The biggest garage sale
    by Ella
  • What’s brought, what’s left behind
    by Grubb
  • What I Remember
    by Grubb
  • A few photos
    by Ella
  • Beating the Beer Lovers Marathon to the Parc
    by Grubb

Recent Comments

  1. Ella on Wait…what? No wine at TJs!June 5, 2026
  2. Logan on Wait…what? No wine at TJs!June 4, 2026
  3. Ella on Space, the final frontierJune 3, 2026
  4. Ella on Space, the final frontierJune 3, 2026
  5. Ella on Space, the final frontierJune 3, 2026
  6. Grubb Graebner on Space, the final frontierJune 3, 2026
  7. Grubb Graebner on Space, the final frontierJune 3, 2026
  8. Marc B Sitkin on Space, the final frontierJune 3, 2026
  9. Wynette on Last dayMay 22, 2026
  10. Ella on Last dayMay 21, 2026
  11. Wynette on Last dayMay 21, 2026
  12. Ella on Last dayMay 21, 2026
  13. niktis on Last dayMay 20, 2026
  14. niktis on The biggest garage saleMay 20, 2026
  15. niktis on What I RememberMay 20, 2026
  16. Ella on Migration in BelgiumMay 19, 2026
  17. niktis on Migration in BelgiumMay 19, 2026
  18. niktis on What you didn’t know you wanted to knowMay 19, 2026
  19. Ella on Last dayMay 18, 2026
  20. Chinle on Last dayMay 18, 2026
June 2026
M T W T F S S
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
2930  
« May    
  • June 2026
  • May 2026
  • April 2026
  • May 2025
  • April 2025
  • March 2025
  • November 2024
  • October 2024
  • May 2024
  • April 2024
  • March 2024
  • October 2023
  • September 2023
  • June 2023
  • May 2023
  • April 2023
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • August 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
© 2026 Happy to be Traveling | Powered by Superbs Personal Blog theme

Loading Comments...