Abbaye de Montmajour

Montmajour Abbey, a stone sentinel perched on a former rocky islet at the gates of Arles, is a masterful distillation of Provençal history. Founded in the 10th century by Benedictine monks, it boasts monumental architecture that blends the purity of Romanesque art, the verticality of Gothic, and the classical grandeur of its 18th-century monastery. This majestic site has captivated some of the greatest artists, from Frédéric Mistral to Vincent van Gogh, who drew inspiration from it for many of his paintings. Walking through its cloister with its exquisitely detailed sculptures or exploring its impressively proportioned abbey church, one senses the full spiritual and political power that this place once wielded over the region. The Pons de l'Orme tower, a veritable defensive keep, offers a striking contrast to the Sainte-Croix chapel, isolated in the garrigue. It is a stopover outside of time where the silence of the stones responds to the song of the cicadas and the breath of the mistral.