Saint-Trophime Church in Arles

Upon coming out of the cryptoporticus in Arles, I discovered that I was already in one of the busier areas of Arles. There was a square here called Place de la Republique where there are people milling about. This usually means that there is something important here. True enough there is an obelisk at the center of the plaza. On one side of the plaza is an old looking church called Saint-Tromphime Church. Long time ago, Arles was one of the most important cities in this part of the Roman empire. Naturally, an important city would usually have a cathedral, Arles was no exception.

Saint Trophime or Trophimus apparently was the first bishop of Arles. I have never heard of this saint before but according to legend, one of the early popes sent seven bishops to Gaul which is part of modern day France. One of these bishops was Saint Trophime and he was assigned to Arles. His history seems to be sketchy and there are only mentions of him in several texts – one of them being Saint Paul’s disciple. Regardless, the cathedral in Arles was dedicated to Saint-Trophime. It used to have the rank of a cathedral but is now just an ordinary parish church since the seat of the bishop has moved away to a different place. The church remains and it is now part of the UNESCO World Heritage site listing of Arles.

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