After breakfast, we drive through the beautiful countryside of Provence to the extreme west of the Bouches-du-Rhône to Tarascon, where we arrive at Collégiale Royale Sainte-Marthe, the collegiate church that houses the relics of Saint Martha, the sister of Mary and Lazarus. Here, we celebrate Mass. We visit the crypt, believed to be the house where Martha lived and where her remains were found in 1187. On the walls are beautiful paintings with scenes of Martha’s life reflected in the gospel scenes. Across the street from Château de Roi René (King René’s Castle), we see the statue of La Tarasque, the legendary dragon that hid in the river and terrorized the people. Saint Martha charmed the beast with hymns, prayers, and holy water, then brought the tamed Tarasque to the city. The people, terrified by the monster, attacked it, but the monster offered no resistance and died there. Through her preaching, Martha helped convert the people to Christianity. Enjoy the beautiful landscape which inspired Vincent van Gogh’s paintings when he lived in this area. Time permitting, we may stop to see the asylum where the great artist lived. After lunch on your own, we drive back to Arles. See a restaurant Vincent van Gogh painted when he lived in Arles from 1888-89, which he called “Café de la Nuit.” The restaurant still exists in the condition it was then but is renamed Café Van Gogh. We then walk to the Church of St. Trophime on the Place de la Republique to see its many relics. The rest of the day and dinner are at leisure in Arles. Overnight in Arles.
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