The History of Tarascon from the 1st Century to 1945

Since Antiquity, Tarascon, a little fishing-village and also a crossroads, has been an important religious centre dating back to the Ist century AD…

Since Antiquity, the great lines of communications linking Provence to Languedoc, and Spain to Italy, via the Alps and the coast, have always joined at Tarascon to cross the Rhône. For these reasons, a small military post was set up there, in very early days. The Phoenicians and the Greeks passed this way during their explorations; later, Tarascon became a crossroads for the Roman ways linking Italy to their possessions in Spain, Gaul, Great Britain and Germania.

A Phoenician trading-post where three centuries before Christ, the Massaliotes* settled, then a Roman “ vicus” on the Via Domitia, Tarascon was only a small fishing-village. During the Roman occupation, a castrum , Ernaginum* was built on the left bank of the Rhône thus controlling navigation and road and river traffic, while on the opposite bank, the castrum of Ugenum*, built on the rocky spur of present day Beaucaire controlled the right bank. The importance of the neighbouring towns of Nemausus (Nîmes) and Arelate ( Arles ) encouraged the Romans to set up a system of fortified surveillance permanently on the rock of Tarascon.

When, during the 1st century AD, the Tarasque, a crocodile or dragon, ravaged the area, this river plain risked remaining an uninhabited waste of marshes and forests.

Around 50 AD, on the area occupied now by the town, there was a population of fishermen and boatmen scattered over the sandy islets formed by the branches of the Rhône, whose floods created vast marshes. The site is favourable for commerce, the Phoenicians founded a trading-post and a calling-point; the Romans put a busy road through and the town became important enough to be mentioned by Strabon ( the geographer ).

Over several centuries, the area was devastated by the Barbarian invasions, the town of Arles fell to the Wisigoths* in 476 and became ruins, the town of Ernaginum was completely demolished in 480. The inhabitants of Laurade* and Ernaginum took refuge in the main town. The town of Saint Martha surrounded the church built over her tomb. Ramparts and towers defended the site.

The Wisigoths fled before the assaults of the Burgondes* and the Francs* in the 6th century. In 737 – 739, the area was taken back from the hands of the Saracens* by Charles Martel. Provence was heavily damaged and Tarascon became a simple halt. However, the geographical advantages of the town remained and political circumstances were to be in favour of this little town. Thus, by the Treaty of Verdun in 843, Charlemangne’s Empire was divided between three independent sovereigns, Provence was part of the share coming to Lothaire*, his kingdome stretched from present day Holland to Southern Italy, Tarascon, thanks to its position on the Rhône, became a strategic frontier position.

The little fort of the Tarasque then became vital. According to tradition, a wooden construction in the IX century preceded the first feudal château, whose existence is mentioned about 1040 by the nomination of a chatelain in Tarascon in the service of the Marquis of Provence.

In the XV century, new elements appeared and increased the importance of the town. It is partly thanks to the creation by King Louis XI of France of a Royal Chapter in the church of Saint Martha and the importance of religion, that the town grew. These two facts had brought about, on the one hand, the arrival of a new nobility, on the other hand, the arrival of ecclesiastical dignitaries. Thus, the consecration and glorification of the cult of the Patron Saint of Tarascon went together with an extension of the town and an increasing population.

Education was developed by the religious institution. The College was founded in 1640 by the Doctrinaires. Girls were educated by the Ursulines at the Saint Nicolas Priory and by the Visitandines who replaced the Clarisses on the site where later, in 1884, the public school for boys was built, destroyed in 1944.

Arts, letters and sciences flourished in Tarascon, thanks to eminent members of the numerous clergy : musicians like Jean Gilles and Charles Gauzargues, mathematicians like Privat de Mollière, Men of letters like Jean Bertet, doctors like André Du Laurens and Pierre Fabre, orators like Charles Bouquin and Father Planchet, historians like Léon Ménard, poets like Chalamont de la Visclède.

In 1720, there were 20 000 inhabitants in the town. The early 18th century was a high point for Tarascon. Around the town and its ramparts, suburbs stretched out. The ramparts were rectified in 1758 on the Eastern side, starting from Our Lady of Bonaventure ( 15th century chapel which may be seen at the entrance to the hospital. In days past, it was the chapel of the Guild of carpenters and dyers.

A49 At the French Revolution, the Royal Chapter was brutally abolished. Mass was celebrated for the last time on November 7th 1790, all the religious communities were dispersed, their riches scattered, their properties sold off at ridiculous prices.The chapels and churches were transformed into warehouses, granaries and even stables.The church of Saint Martha was not spared : it was stripped of its treasures and works of art, particularly, the golden reliquary given by Louis XI, the silver altar given by Pope Gregory XI, certain paintings and the Gobelins tapestries of the Choir ; priests and monks were hunted, all public crosses were demoilished … In May and June 1795, during the Thermidor reaction, the Château was the theatre of political massacres.

Desolation, fear and terror were everywhere, the end of the century marked the decline of the town.

By a law dated 28 Pluviose,Year VIII ( February 17th 1800 ), Tarascon became main town of the district ( present day district of Arles ) and the seat of a law court, the Château was then used as a prison.

In the 19th century, the decline continued,in 1800 there were 18 300 inhabitants in Tarascon, in 1816, only 12 092, in the mean time, the administrative centre had been moved to Arles.

When the Catholic religion was restored in 1802, it was not possible to re-establish the Chapter. After the Concordat, Tarascon passed from the diocese of Avignon to that of Aix. Later, Archbishop Darcinoles split the diocese into 3 archdeaconries, one of which took the name of Tarascon, the priest of Saint Martha then became Archdeacon.
As the decades passed, different census showed a constant drop in the population, commerce was in difficulty, crafts also and trades disappeared one after another. In every sector, economic life was in regression and the people continued to move to the bigger towns. The creation of an important railway station and the posting of a cavalry regiment with all its staff did not counterbalance the loss of population. The 20th century confirmed this trend, after World War I, Tarascon lost part of its territory when Saint Etienne du Grès became a village in its own right.

On November 15th 1926, President Poincarré abolished the Law Court of Tarascon, consequently, the prison became useless and was freed from the undesirable guests which it had housed for over a century.

The census of 1936 showed only 7845 inhabitants in Tarascon. World War II inflicted a crippling blow when almost a quarter of the town was destroyed by the bombing raids of July and August 1944.