Carpentras
Encyclopedia
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Vaucluse
Vaucluse
The Vaucluse is a department in the southeast of France, named after the famous spring, the Fontaine-de-Vaucluse.- History :Vaucluse was created on 12 August 1793 out of parts of the departments of Bouches-du-Rhône, Drôme, and Basses-Alpes...
department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur or PACA is one of the 27 regions of France.It is made up of:* the former French province of Provence* the former papal territory of Avignon, known as Comtat Venaissin...
region
Régions of France
France is divided into 27 administrative regions , 22 of which are in Metropolitan France, and five of which are overseas. Corsica is a territorial collectivity , but is considered a region in mainstream usage, and is even shown as such on the INSEE website...
in southeastern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
It stands on the banks of the Auzon. As capital of the Comtat Venaissin
Comtat Venaissin
The Comtat Venaissin, often called the Comtat for short , is the former name of the region around the city of Avignon in what is now the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of France. It comprised roughly the area between the Rhône, the Durance and Mont Ventoux, with a small exclave located to the...
, it was frequently the residence of the Avignon popes
Avignon Papacy
The Avignon Papacy was the period from 1309 to 1376 during which seven Popes resided in Avignon, in modern-day France. This arose from the conflict between the Papacy and the French crown....
; the Papal States retained possession of the Venaissin until the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
. Nowadays, Carpentras is a commercial center for Comtat Venaissin and is famous for the truffle markets held from winter to early spring.
History
Carpentras was a commercial site used by GreekGreece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
merchants in ancient times, and known to Romans at first as Carpentoracte Meminorum, mentioned by Pliny
Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus , better known as Pliny the Elder, was a Roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and personal friend of the emperor Vespasian...
, then renamed Forum Neronis ("Forum of Nero"); the city retains an impressive Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
triumphal arch
Triumphal arch
A triumphal arch is a monumental structure in the shape of an archway with one or more arched passageways, often designed to span a road. In its simplest form a triumphal arch consists of two massive piers connected by an arch, crowned with a flat entablature or attic on which a statue might be...
, that has been enclosed by the bishops' palace, rebuilt in 1640, now a law court, and a machicolated
Machicolation
A machicolation is a floor opening between the supporting corbels of a battlement, through which stones, or other objects, could be dropped on attackers at the base of a defensive wall. The design was developed in the Middle Ages when the Norman crusaders returned. A machicolated battlement...
city gate
City gate
A city gate is a gate which is, or was, set within a city wall. Other terms include port.-Uses:City gates were traditionally built to provide a point of controlled access to and departure from a walled city for people, vehicles, goods and animals...
, the Porte d'Orange.
Pope Julius II
Pope Julius II , nicknamed "The Fearsome Pope" and "The Warrior Pope" , born Giuliano della Rovere, was Pope from 1503 to 1513...
was made the Bishop of Carpentras when he was 17. Joseph-Dominique d'Inguimbert, Bishop of Carpentras from 1735 to 1754, established a great scholarly library which Jean-François Delmas, the current chief librarian, has called "the oldest of our municipal libraries"; known as the Bibliothèque Inguimbertine
Bibliothéque Inguimbertine
The Bibliothèque Inguimbertine is a scholarly library located in Carpentras. It was established by Joseph-Dominique d'Inguimbert, the Bishop of Carpentras from 1735 to 1754. It has been called "the oldest of our municipal libraries" by current chief librarian Jean-François Delmas...
and now holding around 140,000 books, it is known to bibliophiles all over France and is scheduled to move into roomier quarters in the former Hôtel-Dieu in 2013.
Carpentras has been an important center of French Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
, and is home to the oldest synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
in France (1367), which still holds services.
In May 1990, there was a desecration of the Jewish cemetery (see French and European Nationalist Party
French and European Nationalist Party
The French and European Nationalist Party was a minor French far right political group founded in 1987. It was led by Claude Cornilleau and despite its name was not a political party in the conventional sense...
).
Traditions
Carpentras is famous for the Truffle market that takes place every Friday morning during the winter months.Its traditional confectionery is the berlingot, a small hard candy with thin white stripes, originally made from the syrup left over from conservation of fruits.
Personalities
Carpentras was the birthplace of:- CarpentrasCarpentras (composer)Carpentras was a French composer of the Renaissance. He was famous during his lifetime, and was especially notable for his settings of the Lamentations which remained in the repertory of the Papal Choir throughout the 16th century...
(also known as Elzéar Genet) (c.1470–1548), prominent early RenaissanceRenaissance musicRenaissance music is European music written during the Renaissance. Defining the beginning of the musical era is difficult, given that its defining characteristics were adopted only gradually; musicologists have placed its beginnings from as early as 1300 to as late as the 1470s.Literally meaning...
composer - Louis ArchimbaudLouis ArchimbaudLouis Archimbaud was a French composer. He was one of the last representatives of the Baroque style of French organ school.Archimbaud was born in Carpentras and educated there in the Carpentras Cathedral school. He became an acolyte, then a singer, and finally, in 1727, organist of the cathedral....
(1705–1789), composer and organistOrganistAn organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...
of Carpentras Cathedral - Joseph DuplessisJoseph DuplessisJoseph-Siffred Duplessis was a French painter, known for the clarity and immediacy of his portraits.He was born in Carpentras, near Avignon, into a family with an artistic bent and received his first training from his father, a surgeon and talented amateur, then with Joseph-Gabriel Imbert , who...
(1725–1802), portraitPortraitthumb|250px|right|Portrait of [[Thomas Jefferson]] by [[Rembrandt Peale]], 1805. [[New-York Historical Society]].A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant. The intent is to display the likeness,...
ist - Alexis-Vincent-Charles Berbiguier de Terre-Neuve du ThymAlexis-Vincent-Charles Berbiguier de Terre-Neuve du ThymAlexis-Vincent-Charles Berbiguier de Terre-Neuve du Thym was a French author and demonologist who may have been suffering from psychosis. He was born, and died, in Carpentras in the south of France, and was the heir to an estate, which he used to finance the publication of his unusual memoirs...
, (1765–1851), author and demonologistDemonologyDemonology is the systematic study of demons or beliefs about demons. It is the branch of theology relating to superhuman beings who are not gods. It deals both with benevolent beings that have no circle of worshippers or so limited a circle as to be below the rank of gods, and with malevolent... - François-Vincent RaspailFrançois-Vincent RaspailFrançois-Vincent Raspail was a French chemist, naturalist, physiologist, and socialist politician.-Biography:...
(1794–1878), chemistChemistA chemist is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties such as density and acidity. Chemists carefully describe the properties they study in terms of quantities, with detail on the level of molecules and their component atoms...
, physiologist, and socialist - Édouard DaladierÉdouard DaladierÉdouard Daladier was a French Radical politician and the Prime Minister of France at the start of the Second World War.-Career:Daladier was born in Carpentras, Vaucluse. Later, he would become known to many as "the bull of Vaucluse" because of his thick neck and large shoulders and determined...
(1884–1970) politician and Prime Minister of FrancePrime Minister of FranceThe Prime Minister of France in the Fifth Republic is the head of government and of the Council of Ministers of France. The head of state is the President of the French Republic...
at the start of the Second World War - Christophe MaéChristophe MaéChristophe Maé is a French pop singer.-Career:Maé learned to play the violin at age 6, and later began playing the guitar and harmonica at age 16 after he was immobilised from a chronic illness. He has stated that this was the time when he became inspired by Stevie Wonder...
(1975–), super starSüper Star"Süper Star" was the Turkish entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2006, held in Athens, Greece. The song was sung, written and composed by Sibel Tüzün....
, musicianMusicianA musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, performer, singer, artistArtistAn artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
, and composerComposerA composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
won many prizes in NRJ Music Award.
Twin towns — Sister cities
Carpentras is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with: Vevey
Vevey
Vevey is a town in Switzerland in the canton Vaud, on the north shore of Lake Geneva, near Lausanne.It was the seat of the district of the same name until 2006, and is now part of the Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut District...
, Switzerland Seesen
Seesen
Seesen is a town and municipality in the district of Goslar, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the northwestern edge of the Harz mountain range, approx...
, Germany Ponchatoula, Louisiana, USA Camaiore
Camaiore
Camaiore is a town and comune of 31,503 inhabitants within the province of Lucca, Tuscany, Italy. It stretches from the Alps to the east, to the plains and the coast of Versilia to the west.-Morphology:...
, Italy
External links
- Carpentras official website (in French)
- Encyclopaedia Britannica 1911 "Carpentras"
- Pictures of Carpentras Cathedral: http://catholique-avignon.cef.fr/divers/histoire/cathed/St-siff-fac.jpg, http://catholique-avignon.cef.fr/divers/histoire/cathed/Carp.jpg
- Pictures of Carpentras Synagogue: http://perso.orange.fr/max-claude/F84-CarpentrasSynagogue.jpg, http://www.culture.gouv.fr/culture/inventai/itiinv/synag/fr/syna4.gif, http://perso.orange.fr/max-claude/F84-CarpentrasSynagogue01.jpg
