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For the town in southwestern France, see Tarascon-sur-Ariège.

Coordinates: 43°48′21″N 4°39′37″E / 43.8058333333, 4.66027777778

Commune of Tarascon

Tarascon Castle on the Rhône River
Location
Tarascon (France)
Tarascon
Administration
Country France
Region Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Department Bouches-du-Rhône
Arrondissement Arles
Canton Tarascon (chief town)
Intercommunality Communauté d'agglomération
Arles-Crau-Camargue
-Montagnette
Mayor Charles Fabre
(2008-2014)
Statistics
Elevation 3 m–200 m
(avg. 17 m)
Land area¹ 73.97 km²
Population²
(1999)		 12,668
 - Density 171/km² (1999)
Miscellaneous
INSEE/Postal code 13108/ 13150
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
2 Population sans doubles comptes: residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel) only counted once.
France
Tarascon and St. Martha's Church from top of Castle.
Tarascon and St. Martha's Church from top of Castle.

Tarascon, sometimes referred to as Tarascon-sur-Rhône, is a town and commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône département, in the south of France.

Contents

Geography

Tarascon is located 23 km south of Avignon and 20 km north of Arles, on the left (east) bank of the Rhône River. On the other side is the similarly sized town of Beaucaire in the département of Gard, région of Languedoc-Roussillon. Directly opposite each other and connected by several bridges, Beaucaire and Tarascon effectively constitute one town.

Hamlets located on the territory of the commune include:

  • Lansac
  • Saint-Gabriel (ancient Ernaginum)

Culture

A mythological monster, the Tarasque, is said to have lived there at the beginning of the 1st century. It was purportedly tamed by Martha in 48 AD. See Tarasque for the whole story and more pictures.

The novel Tartarin de Tarascon (1872) and its two sequels Tartarin sur les Alpes (1885) and Port-Tarascon (1890), by Alphonse Daudet, were set here.

Since 1985, there has been a small museum in the town, dedicated to the fictional character Tartarin.

A festival is held every year on the last Sunday of June to remember Tartarin and the Tarasque.

Highlights

The Collegiate Church

Église collégiale Ste Marthe (St Martha's Collegiate Church) is where, according to a local tradition, the biblical figure Martha is buried. The church was built half-Romanesque in the 12th century and half-Gothic in the 14th century. The crypt dates from the 3rd century.

The medieval castle

The construction of the current castle of Tarascon was started in 1401 by Louis II of Anjou, after the previous castle was destroyed. The construction was continued by his first son, Louis III of Anjou, and was completed in 1449 by his second son, René I of Naples. Thus, the castle is often referred to as le château du roi René ("King René's castle").

It was turned into a military prison in the 17th century, until its acquisition by the state in 1932.

It stands right on the banks of the Rhône opposite Beaucaire Castle, and near the Collegiate Church of St Martha. (43°48′22″N 4°39′18″E / 43.80611, 4.655 )

Other highlights include

Administration

Mandate Name Party Title
1935 - 1940 Numa Corbessas - Mayor
1940 - 1941 Eugène Barthélémy - Mayor
1941 - 1944 Etienne Philip - Mayor
1944 Commission spéciale - -
1944 - 1947 Numa Corbessas - Mayor
1947 - 1965 Honoré Valette - Mayor
1965 - 1971 (Colonel) Jean André - Mayor
1971 - 1983 Antonin Saint Michel PS Mayor
1983 - 2002 Thérèse Aillaud RPR Mayor
2002 - 2005 Jean Reynaud UMP Mayor
2005 - current Charles Fabre UMP Mayor

Transportation

Tarascon is served by a train station and several buses.

The GR 6 footpath runs through Tarascon.

Miscellaneous

Famous residents

Twin towns

See also

External links

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