Alyscamps, Arles

The Alyscamps, located just outside the old town of Arles, is a significant Roman necropolis and one of the most renowned burial grounds of the ancient world. Its name, Aliscamps, derived from the Provençal Occitan word, and the Latin Elisii Campi, translates to "Elysian Fields" or, in French, Champs-Élysées. This necropolis held great fame during the Middle Ages and found mention in literary works such as Ariosto's Orlando Furioso and Dante's Inferno.

During Roman times, cities typically prohibited burials within their walls. As a result, roads leading outside the city often featured tombs and mausoleums. The Alyscamps served as Arles' primary burial ground for approximately 1,500 years. Situated along the final stretch of the Aurelian Way, leading to the city gates, it became the resting place for affluent citizens. The memorials within the Alyscamps ranged from simple sarcophagi to elaborate monuments, reflecting the social status of the deceased. This historical significance led to the classification of the Alyscamps as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981, as part of the Arles, Roman, and Romanesque Monuments group.

Vincent van Gogh, the famous Dutch painter, depicted the Alyscamps in four of his paintings during October 1888. This period coincided with Paul Gauguin's stay at the Yellow House in Arles. One of the paintings, titled "Les Alyscamps" or "Leaf Fall," adorned Gauguin's room. In a letter to his brother Theo, Vincent described one of the paintings:

"I think that you'd like the leaf-fall that I've done. It's lilac poplar trunks cut by the frame where the leaves begin. These tree-trunks, like pillars, line an avenue where old Roman tombs colored lilac-blue are lined up to right and left. Now the ground is covered as if by a carpet with a thick layer of orange and yellow leaves — fallen. Some are still falling, like snowflakes. And in the avenue dark figurines of lovers. The top of the painting is a very green meadow and no sky, or almost none."

Van Gogh's paintings capture the essence of the Alyscamps, depicting the rows of poplar trees with their trunks reaching skyward, framed by falling leaves. The lilac-blue Roman tombs line the avenue, while the ground is blanketed in a vibrant carpet of orange and yellow leaves. The presence of dark figurines of lovers evokes a sense of romance and mystery. The top of the painting portrays a lush green meadow, creating a vivid contrast with the absence of the sky.