Aliscamp in France, resort of Arles
 Aliskump – a large Roman necropolis located near the walls of the old part of the city. Previously, this necropolis was the most famous, it is even believed that it was he who was described in the poem of Ludoviko Ariosto `` Furious Roland '' and written from it `` Hell '' Dante in The Divine Comedy. Aliscamp is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Aliscamp was Arles' main cemetery for 1500 years, where the wealthy residents of the city found their last refuge. Christianity came in the 4th century, but Aliskamp continued to function. Here is buried Saint Genesius, a Roman official who refused to persecute Christians, for which he was beheaded. Since then, Aliskamp has become a cult place. Here was buried Saint Trofim, the first bishop of Arles. There were always a lot of people who wanted to be buried next to the saints, so the number of tombs and sarcophagi grew. This led to the fact that the sarcophagi began to be superimposed on one another. The Aliskamp was so popular that dead bodies were brought in from all over Europe. The fishermen who transported the coffins across the Rhone made good money on this. Moving the remains of St. Trofim to the cathedral somewhat reduced the prestige of the necropolis. Despite this, Aliskamp was still actively used. During the Renaissance, the necropolis was plundered, officials handed out sarcophagi to famous people as gifts, and the locals used gravestones for construction. In the 19th century, the construction of the railway and the canal began, from which Aliskamp suffered even more. At the end of 1888, the artists Van Gogh and Gauguin chose the necropolis to work together. Today Aliskamp is a huge outdoor museum. The best of the sarcophagi and tombstones are on display in the Museum of Ancient Arles.    We also recommend reading Abbey of Montmajour in France, resort of Arles Topic: Aliscamp in France, resort of Arles. |
