Saint-Rémy-de-Provence

Saint-Rémy-de-Provence packs three different centuries of fame into one small town at the foot of the Alpilles: the excavated Roman city of Glanum at its edge, the asylum where Vincent van Gogh painted The Starry Night, and the plane-shaded boulevards and Wednesday market that made it the Provence town Parisians colonize in summer. Nostradamus was born here in 1503, for good measure.

Van Gogh’s Year

Van Gogh committed himself to the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole monastery-asylum in May 1889 and stayed a year, painting around 150 canvases: The Starry Night in June 1889, the Irises, the olive groves, and the wheat field he saw from his window. The asylum still operates and still receives visitors: the reconstructed bedroom, the cloister, and a marked walk through the olive groves and cypresses he painted, with reproductions standing at the viewpoints. It is the most direct contact with Van Gogh anywhere in Provence, quieter and truer than the Arles circuit.

Glanum and Les Antiques

Across the road from the asylum stand Les Antiques: the Mausoleum of the Julii, around 40 BC and nearly intact, and a triumphal arch from the reign of Augustus. Behind them, the excavated city of Glanum runs up its valley: forum, temples, baths, and streets of a town that thrived for centuries before Rome’s fall buried it until the 1920s. The site is state-run with current hours at site-glanum.fr; the mausoleum and arch stand free by the roadside at all hours.

Visiting

Saint-Rémy sits 20 minutes from Avignon and 15 from Les Baux, with no rail station: come by car, or guided. The LinkParis.com three-day Provence tour stops here on its circuit of the Alpilles, pairing the town with Les Baux and the Luberon villages. Wednesday morning is market day, the best and busiest time to be in the center; park outside the ring boulevard and walk in.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where exactly did Van Gogh paint The Starry Night?
At the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum in Saint-Rémy, in June 1889, working from his room’s view and imagination. The asylum receives visitors, with his reconstructed bedroom and a marked walk through the landscapes he painted.

What is Glanum?
A Roman city at the edge of Saint-Rémy, buried for 1,500 years and excavated from the 1920s: forum, temples, baths, and streets, with the nearly intact Mausoleum of the Julii and a triumphal arch standing beside the road.

When is the Saint-Rémy market?
Wednesday mornings year-round, filling the old center with Provençal food, linen, and pottery. Arrive by 9 a.m. for parking and the pick of the stalls.