|  King
René's castle
King René’s magnificent powerful Château is one of the finest
Mediaeval châteaux in France. It was built on the remains of an old Roman
castrum by Charles I of Anjou in the 13th century.
Louis II of Anjou demolished
the fortress to build, in its place, in 1400, the sumptuous Château which was
finished in 1449 by King René.
Churches, Cloisters and Monasteries
Numerous convents opened through the centuries around the
tomb and the church of Saint Martha.The large number proved the importance of
the cult of Saint Martha.
The first to arrive in the 13th century in
Tarascon were the Benedictines in 1230, until they were suppressed in 1252 by
Pope Clement VII, the Cordeliers in 1250, the Dominicans in 1256 and the
Benedictines in 1358.
The Templars had arrived much earlier (11th century), at a
short distance from the Priory of Saint Nicolas consecrated in 1096 by Pope
Urban II. After they were suppressed in 1310, they were replaced by the
Triniataires in 1330.
Other Orders came to this small town on the banks
of the Rhône, the Sisters of the Visitation in 1641, the Doctrinaires in 1640,
the Augustins in 1650, the Franciscans in 1650, the Capucins in 1614, the
Ursulines in 1638, the Observantins in 1632, the Sisters of Our Lady of Refuge
in 1677.
Around these religious premises, housing was built, so that in
1638, new ramparts were built to contain all this, with the massive towers of
the Condamine Gate, which can still be seen today.
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©
Régis Havond - Pixel-art
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Alpilles