Salon-de-Provence (, ; or , ), commonly known as Salon, is a commune located about northwest of

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

in the Bouches-du-Rhône department (Metropolis of Aix-Marseille Provence),

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (commonly shortened to PACA), also known as Région Sud, is one of the eighteen Regions of France, administrative regions of France, located at the far southeastern point of the Metropolitan France, mainland. The main P ...

Southern France Southern France, also known as the south of France or colloquially in French as , is a geographical area consisting of the regions of France that border the Atlantic Ocean south of the Marais Poitevin,Louis Papy, ''Le midi atlantique'', Atlas e ...

. It is the home of an important

French Air and Space Force The French Air and Space Force (, , ) is the air and space force of the French Armed Forces. Formed in 1909 as the ("Aeronautical Service"), a service arm of the French Army, it became an independent military branch in 1934 as the French Air F ...

(''Armée de l'Air et de l'Espace'')

air base An airbase (stylised air base in American English), sometimes referred to as a military airbase, military airfield, military airport, air station, naval air station, air force station, or air force base, is an aerodrome or airport used as a mi ...

History

Salon was a

Gallo-Roman Gallo-Roman culture was a consequence of the Romanization (cultural), Romanization of Gauls under the rule of the Roman Empire in Roman Gaul. It was characterized by the Gaulish adoption or adaptation of Roman culture, Roman culture, language ...

oppidum well positioned on the salt trade routes between Adriatic,

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

and

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

seas, hence its name. This region was under the Phocaean influence since the sixth century BC, and stretches of the Via Aurelia can still be recognized just outside the town, but the earliest mention of the place under its familiar name is of the ninth century, as ''Villa Salone''. The archbishops of Arles controlled the site. Its principal claim to fame today is as the place where

Nostradamus Michel de Nostredame (December 1503 – July 1566), usually Latinisation of names, Latinised as Nostradamus, was a French Astrology, astrologer, apothecary, physician, and reputed Oracle, seer, who is best known for his book ''Les Prophéti ...

spent his last years and is buried. His dwelling is maintained as a museum, and for four days every June or July, the city celebrates its history during the time of Nostradamus, attracting tourists. The historic center still lies within its circuit of walls, entered through two seventeenth-century gateways, the ''Porte de l'Horloge'' and the ''Porte du Bourg Neuf''. In 1559 the engineer Adam de Craponne opened the '' Canal de Craponne'' to bring fresh water from the river Durance to the town and the surrounding plain of Crau. Inexpensive freight brought commerce to Salon, and the town prospered.

Sights

Château de l'Emperi

The castle, which was the biggest in

Provence Provence is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which stretches from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the France–Italy border, Italian border to the east; it is bordered by the Mediterrane ...

during the 12th and 13th centuries and was mentioned as early as the tenth, still dominates the old town. It was the preferred residence of the bishops of

Arles Arles ( , , ; ; Classical ) is a coastal city and Communes of France, commune in the South of France, a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture in the Bouches-du-Rhône Departments of France, department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Reg ...

, when Provence was part of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

, hence its name. It became the property of the city after the French Revolution. After damage caused by the 1909 earthquake, it has been restored and now hosts a museum of military history. Every summer, it hosts an international classical music festival.

Fontaine Moussue

The fountain in Place Crousillat has existed since the 16th century. During the 20th century, limestone concretions and vegetation developed, giving the familiar mushroom aspect.

St Michel Chapel

Built during the 13th century, this chapel boasts a remarkable Romanesque tympanum featuring the paschal lamb.

Collégiale Saint Laurent

The current edifice was erected during 15th century by Cardinal Louis Aleman, who was then bishop of Arles.

Salon-de-Provence Air Base

Salon-de-Provence Air Base is the site of the French Air Force Academy, as well as the home of the French Aerial Demonstration team, the Patrouille de France.

Market

Every Wednesday the Place Morgan is host to a Provençal market.

Culture

Each summer, the Château de l'Empéri hosts a festival of

chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of Musical instrument, instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a Great chamber, palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music ...

. Some years the Château is the venue for ''Nostradamiques'' – an historical re-enactment of the time of Nostradamus which includes processions and a transformation of the old medieval downtown. One such re-enactment was performed by the television presenter Jean-Pierre Foucault. In 2006 Robert Hossein compered the closing ceremony of the re-enactment.

Personalities

* Abba Mari ben Eligdor (fl.1335), distinguished Talmudist, philosopher, resident 14th Century *

(1503–1566), resident 1547–66, place of death * Adam de Craponne (1526–1576), engineer, born in Salon * Miquèu Tronc (16th century),

Occitan language Occitan (; ), also known by its native speakers as (; ), sometimes also referred to as Provençal, is a Romance language spoken in Southern France, Monaco, Italy's Occitan Valleys, as well as Spain's Val d'Aran in Catalonia; collectively, ...

writer *

Jean Baptiste Christophore Fusée Aublet Jean Baptiste Christophore Fusée Aublet (November 4, 1720 – May 6, 1778) was a French pharmacist, botanist and one of the earliest botanical explorers in South America.JSTOR He was one of the first botanists to study ethnobotany in the Neotro ...

(1720–1778), French botanist and explorer, birthplace * Joan Montseny (1864-1942), Catalan anarchist, place of death * Charles Trenet (1913-2001), French singer, resident for military reasons, 1939–1940 * Romain Gary (1914–1980), French novelist and pilot, learnt to fly with military in Salon-de-Provence before Nazi occupation of France * Patrick Baudry (1946-), and Léopold Eyharts (1957-), French

astronaut An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a List of human spaceflight programs, human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member of a spa ...

s, military training * Daniel Goossens (1954-), Cartoonist, birthplace * Christine Boisson (1956-), French actor, birthplace * Franck Esposito (1971-), French swimmer, birthplace * Michaël N'dri (1984-), footballer, birthplace and early Football career * Mathieu Arzeno (1987-), racing driver, birthplace * Simon Porte Jacquemus (1990-), Fashion Designer * Nassourdine Imavov (1995-), MMA fighter, former resident * Sakina Karchaoui (1996-), footballer for

Paris Saint-Germain Paris Saint-Germain Football Club, commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain () or simply PSG, is a French professional Association football, football club based in Paris. They compete in Ligue 1, the French football league system, top d ...

and the France national team * Mathys Jaubert (2005-), racing driver

Twin towns – sister cities

Salon-de-Provence is twinned with: * Blanzy-la-Salonnaise, France * Aranda de Duero, Spain *

Gubbio Gubbio () is an Italian town and ''comune'' in the far northeastern part of the Italian province of Perugia (Umbria). It is located on the lowest slope of Mt. Ingino, a small mountain of the Apennine Mountains, Apennines. History Prehistory The ol ...

, Italy *

Huntingdon Huntingdon is a market town in the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England. The town was given its town charter by John, King of England, King John in 1205. It was the county town of the historic county of Huntingdonshire. Oliver C ...

, England, United Kingdom *

Godmanchester Godmanchester ( ) is a town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England. It is separated from Huntingdon, to the north, by the valley of the River Great Ouse. Being on the Roman roads ...

, England, United Kingdom *

Szentendre Szentendre, also known as Saint Andrew is a riverside town in Pest County, Hungary, between the capital city Budapest and Pilis Mountains, Pilis-Visegrád Mountains. The town is known for its museums (most notably the :hu: Szentendrei Szabadtéri ...

, Hungary * Wertheim am Main, Germany

Gallery

Image:Emperi.jpg, Château de l'Empéri courtyard Image:Fontaine Moussue.jpg, Fontaine Moussue by night Image:StMichel.jpg, St Michel, inside Image:Tympanum, Eglise St-Michel, Salon-de-Provence.JPG, Tympanum, Église St-Michel Image:Salon Saint Laurent.jpg, Collégiale Saint Laurent, after 2008/2009 restorations Image:Jardin de la République, Salon-de-Provence.JPG, Jardin de la République Image:Sausages,_Wednesday_market,__Salon-de-Provence.JPG, Sausages, market at Place Morgan Image:Mushrooms,_Wednesday_market,__Salon-de-Provence.JPG, Mushrooms, market at Place Morgan Image:Paella,_Wednesday_market,__Salon-de-Provence.JPG, Paella, market at Place Morgan

Population

Climate

References

External links

Official website

International Salon-de-Provence Music Festival : 'Musique à l'Emperi'
{{DEFAULTSORT:Salondeprovence Communes of Bouches-du-Rhône Nostradamus Bouches-du-Rhône communes articles needing translation from French Wikipedia