Saint Rémy is located in the heart of the Alpilles, 20 miles from Avignon. The village belongs to interior Provence, where the grapes and the olive trees rule the land. This secret, scented, luminous area captivated Van Gogh and inspired him about 100 paintings.
Apart from its beautiful landscapes, the village offers narrow and tortuous streets, gorgeous ancient fountains and shaded little squares.
The ruins of Glanum and the Antiques plateau turned Saint Rémy into a major place in ancient Provence. Glanum was first built by the Greek from Phocée in the second century and became a wealthy trade place under roman rule. Exhumed in 1921, this site offers as many greek ruins as roman ones, including villas, forum, gates, temples, basilics and thermal baths….two monuments have remained from the roman civilization. The Triumphal Arch from the 4th century AD and the Mausoleum.
Van Gogh in Saint Rémy
On May 8, 1889, Vincent chose to have himself moved to Saint Rémy’s nursing home. While in this former monastry from the XII century, he painted the well-known « Iris » of the main alley leading to the cloister. He also painted the Antiques city, the Glanum quarries, the olive trees…he was always inspired by the country side, covered in goden crops and lavander.
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