Les Alyscamps

Frommer's Review

This is one of the most famous necropolises of the western world. Its fame began when Genesius, a Roman civil servant, refused to write down an edict calling for persecution of Christians. For this, he was beheaded in 250; later he was made a saint when it was said that miracles began to happen on this site. In time, as the fame of Les Alyscamps spread throughout the Christian world, more of the faithful wanted to be buried here, and coffins were shipped down the Rhône. By the 10th century, the legend spread that the heroes of Roncevaux -- Roland and Olivier -- were also entombed here, which brought the place even more fame. Dante even mentioned it in his Inferno.

In the Middle Ages, 19 churches and chapels occupied this site. After the Renaissance, the graveyard was desecrated: Tombs were removed and stones were taken to construct other buildings. For an evocative experience, walk down L'Allée des Sarcophages, where 80 generations have been buried over 2,000 years. The lane is lined with sarcophagi under tall poplar trees.

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