Church of St. Trophime, Arles
former cathedral in Arles (Bouches-du-Rhône, France), today parish church
The Church of St. Trophime (French: Cathédrale Saint-Trophime d'Arles; Occitan: Catedrala Sant-Trofime d'Arle) (Trophimus) is a Roman Catholic church and former cathedral located in the city of Arles, in the Bouches-du-Rhône Department of southern France. It was built between the 12th century and the 15th century, and is in the Romanesque architectural tradition. The sculptures over the church's portal, particularly the Last Judgement, and the columns in the adjacent cloister, are considered some of the finest examples of Romanesque sculpture.
The church was built upon the site of the 5th-century basilica of Arles, named for St. Stephen. In the 15th century a Gothic choir was added to the Romanesque nave.
Along with other medieval and Roman buildings in Arles, in 1981 the church was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Arles, Roman and Romanesque Monuments group.
Timeline
250 According to legend, Trophimus of Arles becomes the first bishop of Arles.
597 (November 17).
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Church of St. Trophime, Arles” as former cathedral in Arles (Bouches-du-Rhône, France), today parish church. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as former cathedral in Arles (Bouches-du-Rhône, France), today parish church. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 1, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1788518. VIAF identifies the subject as 131373663. The Library of Congress control number is n82110400. Authority coordinates are 43.677, 4.628. 1 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1981.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Church of St. Trophime, Arles”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Church of St. Trophime, Arles primary sources, Church of St. Trophime, Arles archive and Church research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Church of St. Trophime, Arles”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Church of St. Trophime, Arles” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.