This extensive Roman burial place is an exceptional testimony to Arles' ancient history. The Gallo-Roman necropolis is found on the southeastern edge of the old town. According to the legend of Saint Trophime, the location was dedicated as a Christian cemetery.
In the Middle Ages, the Alyscamps was so revered that the dead were brought here for burial from considerable distances. Dante refers to this necropolis in his "Inferno." Many of the site's original marble sarcophagi were not rediscovered again until the 18th century.
Along the tranquil Allée des Tombeaux (Street of Graves), the only coffins now standing are the plain stone ones from the Middle Ages; the more ornate examples are housed in museums including in the Musée d'Art Chrétien and in the Church of Saint-Trophime. At the end of the Allée, visitors arrive at the 12th-century Church of Saint-Honorat. In the side chapel on the left, lies a beautiful sarcophagus dating from the 4th century AD.
