Salon-de-Provence * All PYRENEES · France, Spain, Andorra

Salon-de-Provence is a commune located in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region (France).

Salon was a Gallo-Roman oppidum well positioned on the salt trade routes between Adriatic, Atlantic and Mediterranean seas, hence its name. This region was under the Phocaean influence since the sixth century BC, and stretches of the Via Aurelia can still be recognized just outside the town, but the earliest mention of the place under its familiar name is of the ninth century, as Villa Salone. The archbishops of Arles controlled the site.

Main attractions

Château de l’Emperi. The castle, which was the biggest in Provence during the 12th and 13th centuries and was mentioned as early as the tenth, still dominates the old town. It was the preferred residence of the bishops of Arles, when Provence was part of the Holy Roman Empire, hence its name. It became the property of the city after the French Revolution. After damage caused by the 1909 earthquake, it has been restored and now hosts a museum of military history. Every summer, it hosts an international classical music festival.

The Great Fountain, also called Fontaine Moussue. The fountain already existed in the 16th century. It was only after the Second World War that limestone concretions, then moss and vegetation developed, giving it the shape of a mushroom. Despite a temperate climate, stalactites sometimes form when it freezes.

The Clock Gate. It was built on the old Farreiroux gate, a vestige of the ramparts, to replace the clock of the Saint-Michel church. The work started in 1626 was completed in 1664. Its door has a niche which houses a Madonna.

The gate of Bourg Neuf. A rampart dating from the 12th century surrounded the city, several gates gave access to the city. This is located next to the town hall and gives its name to the administrative services located next to the door. Under the arcade, you can see a statue of the Black Madonna. This door was registered as a historic monument by decree of December 28, 1926.

At the northern exit of Salon, the monumental Jean-Moulin memorial is the work of sculptor Marcel Courbier who created his third monument dedicated to Jean Moulin.

Saint-Michel church. Classified as a Historic Monument in 1983, it was built in the 13th century and presents a transitional style between Romanesque art and Provençal Gothic. It has two bell towers, one with arcades (also known as a comb bell tower), the second was added in the 15th century to house the city clock.

The Saint-Laurent collegiate church. The current monument, much larger, was built on the site of an old chapel from the 13th century. The Archbishop of Arles Jean de Cardonne laid the first stone on March 22, 1344; the work lasted 100 years. The building collapsed at the beginning of the 15th century; thirty years later, Cardinal Louis Aleman, archbishop of Arles, launched the reconstruction which ended in 1480.

Church of Saint-Benoît des Canourgues.

The Salon et de la Crau Museum presents the Théodore-Jourdan room: this collection, including a set of large-format canvases, is a testimony to pastoral life in Provence in the 19th century. Free admission.

Musée de l’Empéri: formerly the residence of the archbishops of Arles, the castle has become a unique place presenting collections devoted to French military history from Louis XIV to the Great War.

House of Nostradamus: built around this enigmatic character who scrutinized the past, present and future until 3797… Discovery of the house where he lived from 1547 to 1566 and where he wrote his famous prophecies.

Marseille Soap Museum: it traces the history of soap in Provence, beginning in the Middle Ages.

Salon-de-Provence is a wine-growing commune located in the geographical areas of the AOC Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence, the IGP Méditerranée and the IGP Bouches-du-Rhône.

Every Wednesday the Place Morgan is host to a Provençal market.