Arc de Triomphe romain

The Roman triumphal arch at the edge of Cavaillon's old town is a modest but genuine first-century monument, one of several Roman remains scattered through the Luberon plain. It stands about eight metres tall, largely intact except for the upper decorative work, and carries carved reliefs of garlands and military trophies that are still legible despite two millennia of weathering.

The arch marks the boundary between the Roman city and what was then outside it — a boundary that the medieval town kept in use. Today it stands in a small square that feels slightly accidental, the arch preserved more by inertia than by design, which gives it an authenticity that a more tenderly curated monument might lack.

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A story
The arch dates from around the first century AD, when Cavaillon — then called Cabello — was a prosperous Roman city on the road between Arles and the Alps. It was incorporated into the medieval town walls and used as a gate throughout the Middle Ages, which is largely why it survived. When the walls came down, the arch stayed, stranded in what is now a small square near the cathedral.