Beaucaire – An ancient beauty
Beaucaire is a small Provençal town located on the banks of the Rhône River. There is evidence of a Gallo-Roman settlement in this mountainous area as early as 11 BC. The old community gave way to a medieval town in 1067 and the establishment of a castle in 1180. The name Beaucaire translates to beautiful stone, probably a reference to the limestone found in the area. One Sunday, we headed out for a short afternoon of exploring and a bit of history. The city of Beaucaire is located in the “Golden Triangle” of Avignon, Arles and Nîmes, all much larger cities with extensive historical monuments. The city of Beaucaire is bordered on one side by the Rhône River and on the other by the Rhône-Sète canal. Unfortunately, the city is not as exciting as the larger centers in the region and clearly not as well maintained.
The remains of the castle are impressive, even as a shadow of its former size. Standing in the open area after the entrance, one can begin to imagine the immense presence that once stood on this mountainous promontory. Admission to the castle is free and guided tours are available on a limited basis. The view of the Rhone River from the top is worth the short climb. However, in our opinion, we found the overall condition of the site to be poor, compared to other historical monuments in the region. The city itself is not too big, and it is worth taking a short walk through the old streets. In the historical section, one begins to get an idea of what this center could have been like at the time when the castle occupied 26 hectares and the numerous manor houses were at their best. The heyday of this center was in the 18th century when the Madeleine Fair, which is still held every July 21, reached 250,000 attendees. Over time, however, as the fair’s importance waned and trade shifted to other centers, Beaucaire’s influence waned. The city has some historic buildings that are unfortunately attractive, although not as impressive as those found in many other larger cities. Even the tourist signage information boards have seen better days as we found many to be broken or graffitied. The updated port area on the Rhone-Sète canal can apparently accommodate up to 200 vessels. This is a bit of a stretch of the imagination or certainly a triumph of logistics. Even many of the nearby cafes seem to make minimal effort to compliment the waterway.
My husband had visions of an afternoon nap at this time, but no luck. A few kilometers from Beaucaire is the San Roman Abbey. This monastery dates back to the 5th century. It was a settlement for hermits and was occupied by monks until 1538. The entire structure was literally carved out of the limestone of the hill. The structure is the only troglodyte monastery in Europe, where the occupants literally lived like cavemen in the rock. A castle was built over the old monastery after 1538. It was only after the destruction of the castle that the old religious structure was discovered. The abbey was classified as a French state monument in 1990 and the oldest monastery in the country. The amazing elements of this visit were the beautiful view of the Rhone River over the ancient tombs, the incredible amount of hard work required to build the structure, and the simplicity of life that existed within the walls.
The challenge facing Beaucaire and other small centers is that the entire region has such a rich and complex history that it is difficult to attract the necessary attention and funding. The Beaucaire tourist office maintains an informative website. However, it is short-sighted that parking in front of your office is permit-only. It is potentially unfair to deny yourself a visit to Beaucaire. It certainly will never have the same crowds as larger centers like Avignon. If you go, don’t miss the Abbaye de Saint-Roman, as it is well worth a thoughtful visit.