Cavaillon

Cavaillon is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence- Alpes- Côte d' Azur, with 25,486 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2011 ). It lies in the valley of the Coulon. Cavaillon was the temporary headquarters of the diocese of Cavaillon, which was to become the Archdiocese of Avignon. The municipality is part of the Luberon Regional Nature Park.

History

Celtic Cavarer founded on the 180 meter high St -Jacques Hill for military reasons, an oppidum, which was under the rule of Marseilles long. When the Romans took over the settlement, they transferred her from the hill into the plane and called the wealthy colony Cabelio. Mute witness to this era is the reconstructed from fragments of Roman quadrifrons from the Augustan period.

Cavaillon belonged to the papal dominion Comtat venaissin. 1251 Pope Innocent IV consecrated the Romanesque Cathedral of St. Véran. The Cathedral has an ornate polygonal choir and received in 1653 a one-off for Provence large gilded baroque organ. The rest of the church interior was not altered by the overzealous efforts of centuries to his advantage. Next to the cathedral is a simple harmonic Romanesque cloister.

Thanks to the asylum policy of the papacy Cavaillon was next to Carpentras, Avignon and L' Isle- sur -la -Sorgue an important center and focal point of the French Jewry from persecution under Philip the Fair. Also Cavaillon had a carrière, a ghetto, in which there was a synagogue in the 14th century, which was in 1772 replaced by a new building.

When the National Socialists in 1944 would lead the last train with Jews for the destruction of the South of France over the Durance, had the consisting of boxcars, fully staffed train several days in sweltering heat without water or food because of the destroyed railway bridge on its further journey into the transit camp Drancy wait. Although the train was poorly guarded and apparently many people knew what the transport served, helped only very few.

Attractions

In the synagogue there was once a bakery that produced unleavened bread. Instead of the bakery is a small museum on the history of Judaism is housed as the only reminder of a great up until the French Revolution Jewish community there today. In addition to liturgical items, manuscripts, grave steles and a wrought iron fence, it also contains the Torah scrolls. In the basement there is a mikveh, a ritualistic cleansing bath for women.

In the Archaeological Museum in a former Baroque chapel of the former hospital L' hôtel -Dieu from 1753 alongside ointment pots made ​​of glass and pottery, ceramics, coins and urns also exhibits from the Celto - Ligurian phase of the place are presented.

In addition to the 1880 established arc romain, the Roman arch, the Porte d' Avignon as the rest of the medieval city wall is worth seeing.

From the top of Colline St -Jacques, on which a small Romanesque chapel stands, you have a beautiful view of the city, the Vaucluse and in good distant view of the Mont Ventoux.

Hall Cavaillon

Roman Arch

Chapel Saint -Jacques

Cathedral Saint- Véran

Economy

Since Roman times Cavaillon is known for its breeding and its trade with early vegetables and fruit breakfast. Alone, 800,000 tonnes of fruit and vegetables come from the fields and greenhouses Cavaillon on the wholesale market to the European markets. Therefore Cavaillon is sometimes called the capital of the melons.

Policy

The city is like most towns in Provence conservative and dominated right. The UMP is with Jean -Claude Bouchet the mayor and 26 of the 35 local councils of the city. In the 2007 presidential election Nicolas Sarkozy reached 34.18 % with the most votes, 2012 Marine Le Pen with 31.38 %.

Sister cities are:

• Germany Weinheim, Baden -Wuerttemberg, Germany, since 1945
• Langhirano Italy, Emilia -Romagna, Italy, since 2001

Personalities

• César de Bus, a Catholic priest and a blessed of the Roman Catholic Church

Cavaillon in the film

Some scenes in the film Mr. Bean's Holiday play at the train station and in the center of Cavaillon.