St. Trophime Church
The Church of St. Trophime is a Roman Catholic church and former cathedral built between the 12th and the 15th century. The church is an important example of Romanesque architecture, and the sculptures over the 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. At the time the Cathedral was built, in the early 12th century, Arles was the second-largest city in Provence, with a population between 15,000 and 20,000 people. The apse and the transept were probably built first, and the nave and bell tower were completed in the second quarter of the 12th century.
The Romanesque church had a long central nave 20 meters high, lower collateral aisles on either side, a transept supporting the square central bell tower and a chevet behind the altar at the east end with a hemispherical vault. The cloister was constructed in the second half of the 12th century and the first half of the 13th century. In the 15th century a gothic choir was added to the Romanesque nave.