Tarascon

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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

Administration
Commune of Tarascon Tarascon Castle on the Rhône River
Location

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 area^¹	73.97 km²
Population^² (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.

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.

1 Geography
2 Culture
3 Highlights
4 Administration
5 Transportation
6 Miscellaneous
- 6.1 Famous residents
- 6.2 Twin towns
7 See also
8 External links

[edit] Geography

Tarascon is located 23 km south of Avignon and 20 km north of Arles, on the left 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)

[edit] 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.

[edit] Highlights

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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 )

[edit] Other highlights include

Historical town centre, including the rue des Halles and its arcades
Hôtel de Ville (Town Hall) (1648)
Cloître des Cordeliers, 16^th century cloister
Three city gates remain from the former city wall: Portail St. Jean, Porte de la Condamine and Porte Jarnègues.
Saint-Jacques Church (1740)
Saint-Michel de Frigolet abbey - Catholic Encyclopedia article

[edit] 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