Château de Tarascon

The site's origins date back to antiquity, when a Roman military camp stood here. A predecessor to the current castle was destroyed in 1399 by Raimond de Turenne. Reconstruction began in the autumn of 1400 under Louis II of Anjou and Yolande of Aragon, with the river-facing section completed by 1411. Their son, Louis III, had the town-facing part built between 1429 and 1435. After Louis III's death, the castle passed to his brother René I, who made only minor structural adjustments and refined the interior decoration. The Château served as a residence for the Counts of Provence and was also used for representative purposes. However, from its inception, it also functioned as a prison, a role it fulfilled particularly intensively between 1642 and 1926. Numerous prisoner graffiti from this period have been preserved. In 1840, the castle was designated a historical monument.

The Château de Tarascon is located in the town of Tarascon in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region of France. It stands at an elevation of approximately 22 meters above sea level directly on the left bank of the Rhône.

Today, the Château de Tarascon is open for visitors. It has been accessible to the public since 1933 and, since 2009, as the “Centre d’art René d’Anjou,” houses an exhibition of contemporary art related to the local Tarasque legend.

• Château de Beaucaire (castle), approx. 0.9 km away
• Saint-Michel-de-Frigolet Abbey (sacred building), approx. 8.3 km away
• Abbaye Saint-Pierre de Montmajour (sacred building), approx. 11.2 km away
• Roman City of Glanum (ancient structures), approx. 14.8 km away