View source for Tarascon

{{short description|Commune in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France}}
{{other uses}}
{{Expand French|topic=geo|date=December 2008|Tarascon (Bouches-du-Rhône)}}
{{Infobox French commune
|name               = Tarascon
|commune status     = [[Communes of France|Commune]]
|image              = Vue sur le château et l'église depuis le milieu du Rhône (sur le pont).JPG
|caption            = [[Tarascon Castle]] along the Rhône River
|image coat of arms = Blason de la ville de Tarascon (13).svg
|arrondissement     = Arles
|canton             = Châteaurenard
|INSEE              = 13108
|postal code        = 13150
|mayor              = Lucien Limousin<ref>{{cite web|title=Répertoire national des élus: les maires|url=https://www.data.gouv.fr/fr/datasets/r/2876a346-d50c-4911-934e-19ee07b0e503|publisher=data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises|date=13 September 2022|language=fr}}</ref>
|term               = 2020&ndash;2026
|intercommunality   = [[Communauté d'agglomération Arles-Crau-Camargue-Montagnette|CA Arles-Crau-Camargue-Montagnette]]
|coordinates        = {{coord|43.8058|4.6603|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
|elevation m        = 17
|elevation min m    = 3
|elevation max m    = 200
|area km2           = 73.97
|population         = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_total}}
|population date    = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_as_of}}
|population footnotes   = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_footnotes}}
}}
'''Tarascon''' ({{IPA|fr|taʁaskɔ̃}}; {{Langx|oc|Tarascon}}), sometimes referred to as '''Tarascon-sur-Rhône''', is a [[Communes of France|commune]] situated at the extreme west of the [[Bouches-du-Rhône]] [[Departments of France|department]] of [[France]] in the [[Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur]] region. Inhabitants are referred to as Tarasconnais or Tarasconnaises. The patron saint of the city is [[Martha|Martha of Bethany]], whose motto is "Concordia Felix".
{{TOC limit|2}}

==Geography==
Tarascon is located {{convert|23|km|mi|abbr=on}} south of [[Avignon]] and {{convert|20|km|mi|abbr=on}} north of [[Arles]], on the left (east) bank of the river [[Rhône]]. On the other side is the similarly sized town of [[Beaucaire, Gard|Beaucaire]] in the ''département'' of [[Gard]], ''région'' of [[Occitania (administrative region)|Occitania]].  Directly opposite each other and connected by several bridges, Beaucaire and Tarascon effectively constitute one town, with about 30,000 inhabitants. An irrigation canal of 18,00&nbsp;km length rejoins the Rhone near Tarascon.

== History ==
[[File:Allied-airmen-destroyed-these-bridges-over-the-Rhone-River-at-Tarascon-391769137276.jpg|thumb|Bridges across the Rhone after the Allied bombings of 1944]]
[[File:ChateauTerasconProv.JPG|thumb|Medieval castle]]
[[File:Sainte-Marthe de Tarascon-bjs180813-09.jpg|thumb|Tarascon and [[Église Sainte-Marthe de Tarascon|St. Martha's Church]] from top of Castle.]]
Shards dating from the Late Bronze Age have been found in a shelter at a place called the Lèque, confirming the existence of human settlement in the Alpilles since prehistoric times.<ref>« Les Alpilles et la Montagnette », ''Carte archéologique de la Gaule'', t. 13/2, 1999, p. 415.</ref>  Settlement spread in the early Iron Age. At Tarascon, the sites sit alongside the Rhone, near the church of Sainte-Marthe.<ref>« Le peuplement des Alpilles durant l'âge du Fer », in Les Alpilles, encyclopédie d'une montagne provençale, P. Arcelin, op. cit., p. 143.</ref>

In the second part of the first Iron Age (7th–6th centuries BC), the population shifted from a nomadic lifestyle to a sedentary one and began to construct extensive buildings. Trade intensified with the Eastern Mediterranean, with the people of the area likely trading grain for luxury goods.<ref>Y. Marcadal, « Les ''oppida'' des Alpilles », in Les Alpilles, ''op. cit'', p. 146.</ref>

Located along the Rhone, at the crossroads between Avignon, the Camargue and the Luberon, Tarascon is still associated with fairy tales and legends dating back to prehistory. According to tradition, [[Martha]] of Bethany, who came from Judea, landed at Tarascon c. AD 48 where an amphibious [[dragon]] or [[tarasque]] was destroying the river traffic. She tamed the beast only for it to be butchered by the townspeople.<ref>Cf. 'The Dragon and the Holy Cross', in: Ernest Ingersoll,et al. ''The Illustrated Book of Dragons and Dragon Lore''. Chiang Mai: Cognoscenti Books 2013.</ref> Many pilgrims visit the Royal College of Sainte-Marthe, built in her honor near the castle of [[René of Anjou|King René]]. This sanctuary, the main monument of the city, contains the relics and the tomb of St. Martha in the crypt which was built on the exact location of her house.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thecatholictravelguide.com/destinations/france/tarascon-france-collegiate-church-saint-martha-abbey-saint-michael-frigolet/|title=Tarascon, France: The Collegiate Church of Saint Martha & The Abbey of Saint Michael of Frigolet ~ The Catholic Travel Guide ™}}</ref>

Rostagnetus of Tharascone, knight, was provost of Nice, Alderman of Tarascon (1322, 1325) and son of former co-lords of the city in the 12th century. In 1366–67, Guillam de Sault ruled Tarascon. He received an annual salary of 90 florins.  The death of Queen Joanna I reopened a succession crisis at the head of the County of Provence, the cities of the Aix Union (1382–1387) supporting Charles de Duras against Louis I of Anjou . Tarascon hesitated before joining the Union of Aix, the community deciding in 1383, without committing itself very firmly. When Louis I died, Tarascon was also one of the first cities to receive Jacques Reillanne, Ambassador of his widow Marie de Blois, regent of Louis II of Anjou, in the summer of 1385. He successfully persuaded them to switch sides and join the Angevin Kings of Anjou. The castle is well preserved. The work of construction began in 1400 under Louis II of Anjou and completed in 1449 by his son, King René, led by Guillaume Crespin, captain of the castle, and his lieutenant, Regnault Serocourt, its close relative . With an impressive defensive system, the building also houses a princely residence.

The town was damaged by Allied bombings from June to August 1944, during [[World War II]]. The bombings, targeting the bridges across the Rhone in an attempt to hamper the German retreat, destroyed parts of the old town. The first bombing took place on 25 June 1944. On 16 August 1944 the tip of the church tower of [[Église Sainte-Marthe de Tarascon|Église Sainte-Marthe]] was destroyed.

==Landmarks==
[[File:Tarascon.JPG|thumb|Porte de la Condamine]]
===Collegiate Church===
{{main|Église Sainte-Marthe de Tarascon}}
''Église collégiale Ste Marthe'' ([[Martha|St Martha]]'s [[Collegiate Church]]) is where, according to a local tradition, the [[Bible|biblical]] figure [[Martha]] is buried. The church was built half-[[Romanesque architecture|Romanesque]] in the 12th century and half-[[Gothic architecture|Gothic]] in the 14th century. The [[crypt]] dates from the 3rd century.

Collegiate Sainte-Marthe was dedicated in 1197 and enlarged in the 14th and 15th centuries. The crypt houses the relics of Martha in a sarcophagus of the fourth century.

===Medieval castle===
The [[castle of King René]]. The present castle replaced a fortress, built on the site of the Roman town to monitor the border of Provence. After the destruction perpetrated in 1399 by the bands of Raymond de Turenne, the Anjou family decided to rebuild it entirely. The construction of the current castle of Tarascon was started in 1401 by [[Louis II of Anjou]]. The construction was continued by his first son, [[Louis III of Anjou]], and was completed in 1449 by his second son, [[René I of Naples]] (René d'Anjou). Thus, the castle is often referred to as ''le château du roi René'' (King René's castle). It was turned into a military prison in the 17th century, until its acquisition by the state in 1932.

It consists of two independent parts: the South, the stately home, flanked by round towers on the city side and river side with walls of up to 48 m high and square towers and the North, the lower court that defends the rectangular constructions. It stands right on the banks of the Rhône opposite [[Château de Beaucaire]], and near St Martha's Collegiate Church.

===Other historic buildings===
[[File:Abbaye Saint-Michel-de-Frigolet (2008).jpg|thumb|[[Frigolet Abbey]]]]
;Civilian and military architecture
* Historic town centre, including Rue des Halles and its arcades
* Hôtel de Ville ([[town hall]]), built in 1648 in Baroque style. The statue of St. Martha slaying the Tarasque was conducted by the sculptor Louis Le Male.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tarascon.fr/assets/files/visiter/patrimoine/In-search-of-the-Tarasque-web.pdf|title=Walking Tour : In search of the Tarasque}}</ref>
* Three [[city gates]] remain from the former [[city wall]], demolished in 1820: Portail St. Jean, Porte de la Condamine and Porte Jarnègues.
* Casernes Kilmaine. Former barracks. Since 2012, it house the ''Tribunal de grande instance'' court.
;Religious architecture
* Cloître des Cordeliers. 16th-century [[cloister]]
* [[Église Saint-Jacques de Tarascon]] ([[:fr:Église Saint-Jacques de Tarascon|fr]]). Built between 1740 and 1745 in Baroque style by Antoine Damour from Tarascon, following the plans of architect [[Jean-Baptiste Franque]] from Avignon
* [[Frigolet Abbey]]
* Chapelle Saint Gabriel ([[:fr:Chapelle Saint-Gabriel de Tarascon|fr]]). 12th-century Romanesque chapel southeast of the town.
* [[Abbaye Saint-Honorat (Tarascon)|Abbaye Saint-Honorat]] - Former [[Benedictine nunnery]]

===Hamlets===
Hamlets located on the territory of the commune include:
* Lansac
* Saint-Gabriel (ancient ''Ernaginum'')

===Climate===
The climate in the [[Alpilles]] is considered [[Mediterranean climate|Mediterranean]]. The winters are mild and dry and the summers hot and dry. The maximum temperature is observed in July and August ({{convert|29|C|F|1}}), the minimum temperature in December and January ({{convert|3|C|F|1}}). The rainiest month is January with seven days of rain on average, against two days in July, the driest month.  The Alpilles region receives more rainfall than the coast of the Mediterranean: 500&nbsp;mm / year in the Camargue against 600–700&nbsp;mm / year for the Alpilles. The [[Mistral (wind)|mistral]] blows violently from the north or northwest, especially in winter and spring . The mistral blows strongly 100 days a year on average and more weakly for 83 days, which leaves only 182 windless days per year. Two types are distinguished; the "white mistral", which clears the sky, and the rarer "black mistral", which is accompanied with rain.

On average, Tarascon experiences 18.2 days per year with a minimum temperature below {{convert|0|C|F|1}}, no days per year with a minimum temperature below {{convert|-10|C|F|1}}, 0.2 days per year with a maximum temperature below {{convert|0|C|F|1}}, and 56.2 days per year with a maximum temperature above {{convert|30|C|F|1}}. The record high temperature was {{convert|43.0|C|F|1}} on 28 June 2019, while the record low temperature was {{convert|-7.7|C|F|1}} on 4 January 1993.<ref name = Meteociel/>

{{Weather box
|location = Tarascon (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1990–present)
|single line = Yes
|metric first = Yes

|Jan record high C = 21.1
|Feb record high C = 23.6
|Mar record high C = 27.3
|Apr record high C = 30.7
|May record high C = 35.5
|Jun record high C = 43.0
|Jul record high C = 38.9
|Aug record high C = 40.4
|Sep record high C = 35.1
|Oct record high C = 31.0
|Nov record high C = 25.0
|Dec record high C = 20.4

|Jan avg record high C = 
|Feb avg record high C = 
|Mar avg record high C = 
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|Jan high C = 10.9
|Feb high C = 12.4
|Mar high C = 16.5
|Apr high C = 19.4
|May high C = 23.7
|Jun high C = 28.2
|Jul high C = 31.2
|Aug high C = 30.8
|Sep high C = 25.8
|Oct high C = 20.7
|Nov high C = 14.8
|Dec high C = 11.3
|year high C = 

|Jan mean C = 7.1
|Feb mean C = 8.0
|Mar mean C = 11.4
|Apr mean C = 14.0
|May mean C = 18.0
|Jun mean C = 22.1
|Jul mean C = 24.8
|Aug mean C = 24.5
|Sep mean C = 20.2
|Oct mean C = 16.1
|Nov mean C = 10.9
|Dec mean C = 7.6
|year mean C = 

|Jan low C = 3.4
|Feb low C = 3.5
|Mar low C = 6.2
|Apr low C = 8.6
|May low C = 12.3
|Jun low C = 16.0
|Jul low C = 18.5
|Aug low C = 18.2
|Sep low C = 14.6
|Oct low C = 11.5
|Nov low C = 7.0
|Dec low C = 4.0
|year low C = 

|Jan avg record low C = 
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|Jan record low C = -7.7
|Feb record low C = -6.8
|Mar record low C = -6.2
|Apr record low C = -0.7
|May record low C = 4.4
|Jun record low C = 8.3
|Jul record low C = 10.5
|Aug record low C = 10.7
|Sep record low C = 5.7
|Oct record low C = 0.5
|Nov record low C = -4.7
|Dec record low C = -7.5

|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 51.3
|Feb precipitation mm = 33.0
|Mar precipitation mm = 36.8
|Apr precipitation mm = 63.2
|May precipitation mm = 46.9
|Jun precipitation mm = 31.2
|Jul precipitation mm = 28.4
|Aug precipitation mm = 31.9
|Sep precipitation mm = 96.4
|Oct precipitation mm = 89.1
|Nov precipitation mm = 92.5
|Dec precipitation mm = 43.1
|year precipitation mm = 

|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
|Jan precipitation days = 5.3
|Feb precipitation days = 4.5
|Mar precipitation days = 4.5
|Apr precipitation days = 6.3
|May precipitation days = 5.8
|Jun precipitation days = 3.4
|Jul precipitation days = 2.7
|Aug precipitation days = 3.1
|Sep precipitation days = 5.1
|Oct precipitation days = 6.0
|Nov precipitation days = 7.4
|Dec precipitation days = 5.3

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|unit snow days = 0.2 cm
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|source 1 = Meteociel<ref name = Meteociel>
{{cite web
|url = https://www.meteociel.fr/obs/clim/normales_records.php?code=13108004&normes=2020
|publisher = Meteociel.fr
|title = 1991–2020 Normals and Records – Station: Tarascon
|access-date = August 22, 2023
}}
</ref>
}}

==Coat of arms==
Tarascon's coat of arms depicts in its upper half the city's castle, and in the lower half the fearsome [[tarasque]], legendary tamed by [[Martha|Martha of Bethany]], but here in the process of devouring a man.

==Culture==
[[File:Théâtre de Tarascon 01.jpg|thumb|Theater]]
[[File:La Tarasque et les Chevaliers de la Tarasque.jpg|thumb|[[Tarasque]] parade in Tarascon.]]
[[File:Tartarin.jpg|thumb|Festival celebrating [[Tartarin]]]]
Municipal theater.

A mythological [[monster]], the [[Tarasque]], is said to have lived there at the beginning of the 1st century.  It was purportedly tamed by [[Martha]] in 48 AD.

The novel ''[[Tartarin de Tarascon]]'' (1872) and its two sequels ''[[Tartarin sur les Alpes]]'' (1885) and ''[[Port-Tarascon]]'' (1890), by [[Alphonse Daudet]], were set here. From 1985 to 2008, there was a small museum in the town, dedicated to the fictional character [[Tartarin]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rdv-inprovence.com/en-us/provence-places-to-visit/tarascon.html |title=Tarascon: Tarasque, King René and Tartarin |website=RDV in Provence |access-date=1 December 2024 }}</ref>

A festival is held every year on the last Sunday of June to remember Tartarin and the Tarasque.

Private museum Souleiado. Opened in 1988 in the 17th century hôtel d'Ayminy.<ref>[http://souleiado-lemusee.com/ Musée Souleiado]</ref>

==Administration==
{| class="wikitable"
! Mandate !! Name !! Party 
|-
|align=right| 1935–1940 || Numa Corbessas || – 
|-
|align=right| 1940–1941 || Eugène Barthélémy || – 
|-
|align=right| 1941–1944 || Etienne Philip || – 
|-
|align=center| 1944 || ''Commission spéciale'' || – 
|-
|align=right| 1944–1947 || Numa Corbessas || – 
|-
|align=right| 1947–1965 || Honoré Valette || – 
|-
|align=right| 1965–1971 || (Colonel) Jean André || – 
|-
|align=right| 1971–1983 || Antonin Saint Michel || [[Socialist Party (France)|PS]] 
|-
|align=right| 1983–2002 || [[Thérèse Aillaud]] || [[Rally for the Republic|RPR]] 
|-
|align=right| 2002–2005 || Jean Reynaud || [[Union for a Popular Movement|UMP]] 
|-
|align=right| 2005–2014 || Charles Fabre || UMP 
|-
|align=right| 2014–current || Lucien Limousin  || [[Miscellaneous right|DVD]]
|}

==Economy==
In 2008, the median household income tax was €13,986, placing in Tarascon 29,178th among the 31,604 communes with more than 50 households in France.

[[Olive oil]] from the Valley of Baux-de-Provence is a protected designation of origin (AOC) from an order made by the INAO, the 27 August 1997. The varieties of olives that fall within this order are the Béruguette, Grossane and verdale Bouches-du-Rhône.  It also produces crushed olives and black olives included in the order of the INAO.  The varieties of olives crushed are salonenque and Béruguette. For black olives the only variety accepted is Grossane.

Apart from agriculture, the industry most easily identifiable around the [[Alpilles]] is tourism. Even the wine and olive oil producers take into account the development of tourism and increasingly offer tasting services. There are three main types of tourism in the Alpilles. First, the historical and cultural tourism that relies on a rich historical heritage ([[Les Baux-de-Provence]], [[Glanum]], etc..) or festivals. Second, the relaxation tourism resulting in a significant expansion of B&Bs, hotels and rented properties. Finally, the green tourism that benefits from the many hiking trails and protected framework offered by the massif and its surroundings.

==Population==
{{Historical populations
|align = none
|cols = 2
|percentages = pagr
|source = EHESS<ref name=ehess>{{Cassini-Ehess|37082|Tarascon}}</ref> and INSEE (1968–2017)<ref name=pophist>[https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4515315?geo=COM-13108#ancre-POP_T1 Population en historique depuis 1968], INSEE</ref>
|graph-pos = bottom
|1793 |9069
|1800 |11320
|1806 |10554
|1821 |10830
|1831 |10967
|1836 |10774
|1841 |11362
|1846 |11968
|1851 |12539
|1856 |13229
|1861 |13489
|1866 |12454
|1872 |11249
|1876 |10409
|1881 |9833
|1886 |9314
|1891 |9263
|1896 |9023
|1901 |8885
|1906 |8972
|1911 |8631
|1921 |8299
|1926 |8478
|1931 |8496
|1936 |7875
|1946 |7781
|1954 |7744
|1962 |8637
|1968 |10584
|1975 |10365
|1982 |10735
|1990 |10826
|1999 |12640
|2007 |13177
|2012 |13540
|2017 |14813
}}

==Personalities==
* [[Ricau de Tarascon]] (active between 1200 and 1240), [[Provence|Provençal]] [[knight]] and [[troubadour]]
* [[Joseph ben Abba Mari ben Joseph ben Jacob Caspi]] (1280—1345), prominent Jewish medieval philosopher, lived in Tarascon
* [[Immanuel ben Jacob Bonfils]] (c. 1300 – 1377), Jewish mathematician and astronomer, lived in Tarascon
* [[René d'Anjou]] (1409–1480), lived in Tarascon
* [[Claude de Bectoz]] (1490–1547), female writer and philosopher of the [[Renaissance]], abbess of the [[Benedictine]] [[Abbaye Saint-Honorat (Tarascon)|Monastery Saint Honorat]], lived in Tarascon
* [[Honoré du Laurens]] (1564–1612), [[archbishop of Embrun]], was born in Tarascon
* [[André du Laurens]] (1558–1609), physician, was born in Tarascon
* [[Sauvaire Intermet]] (c.1573–1657), musician and composer, was born in Tarascon
* [[Esprit Fléchier]] (1632–1710), preacher and author, [[Bishop of Nîmes]] from 1687, studied and later taught at the Collège of Tarascon
* [[Jean Gilles (composer)|Jean Gilles]] (1668–1705), composer, was born in Tarascon
* [[Joseph Privat de Molières]] (1676–1742), physicist and mathematician, was born in Tarascon
* [[Léon Ménard]] (1706–1767), lawyer and historical writer, was born in Tarascon
* [[Jean-Esprit Isnard]] (1707–1781), [[pipe organ]] builder, lived and died in Tarascon
* [[Hippolyte de Sade de Vaudronne]] (1710–1780), French Navy officer, was born in Tarascon
* [[Conrad Mouren]] (1731–1795), secretary of the Municipality of Tarascon.
* [[Urbain Audibert]] (1789–1846), [[nurseryman]], was born in Tarascon
* [[Joseph Desanat]] (1796–1873), poet and journal editor, was born in Tarascon
* [[Étienne-Michel Faillon]] (1800–1870), Catholic historian, was born in Tarascon
* [[Joseph Roumanille]] (1818–1891), poet and one of the founders of [[Félibrige]], studied and worked there from 1834 to 1839
* [[Jean Barnabé Amy]] (1839–1907), sculptor, was born in Tarascon
* [[Brémonde de Tarascon]] (1858–1898), poet who wrote in the Occitan language
* [[S. R. Crockett]] (1859–1914) Scottish novelist, lived and died in Tarascon
* [[Jean Théveney]] (1866–1960), army officer, was born in Tarascon
* [[Louis Pasquet]] (1867–1931), politician, was born in Tarascon
* [[Marius Chaîne]] (1873–1960), Jesuit, scholar of [[Ethiopic]] and [[Copt]]ic [[philology]], was born in Tarascon
* [[Jean-François Rodriguez]] (born 1957), professional [[cycle sport|racing cyclist]], was born in Tarascon
* [[Sébastien Fidani]] (born 1978), professional [[association football|footballer]], was born in Tarascon
* [[Youssef Hajdi]] (born 1979), actor, was born in Tarascon
* [[Driss Himmes]] (born 1983), professional [[association football|footballer]], was born in Tarascon
* [[Yoan Benyahya]] (born 1987), professional [[association football|footballer]], was born in Tarascon

==Twin towns==
* {{Flagicon|Israel}} [[Beit She'an]], [[Israel]]
* {{Flagicon|Germany}} [[Elmshorn]], [[Germany]]{{snd}}since 1987
* {{Flagicon|Spain}} [[Fraga]], [[Spain]]
* {{Flagicon|Italy}} [[Neviano degli Arduini]], [[Italy]]
* {{Flagicon|Switzerland}} [[Porrentruy]], [[Switzerland]]{{snd}}since 1969
* {{Flagicon|France}} [[Tarascon-sur-Ariège]], [[France]]{{snd}}since 2017

==Transportation==
[[File:Gare de Tarascon 01.jpg|thumb|Train station]]
[[File:RodanoTarascone.JPG|thumb|Bridges across the [[Rhone]] between Tarascon and [[Beaucaire, Gard|Beaucaire]] (right).]]
Tarascon is served by [[Tarascon station|a train station]] and several bus lines.

The [[GR 6]] [[GR footpath|footpath]] runs through Tarascon.

==See also==
* [[Treaty of Tarascon]] (1291)
* [[Pas de la Bergère]], a ''[[pas d'armes]]'' held in Tarascon in 1449
* [[Alpilles]]
* [[Communes of the Bouches-du-Rhône department]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |last=Grèzes |first=Henri de |author-link=Henri de Grèzes |date=1891 |title=Archives capucines : province de Provence : le couvent de Tarascon : 1612–1790 |url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015074799357 |location=N.-D. de Lérins |publisher=Imprimerie M. Bernard |language=French |page= |hdl=2027/mdp.39015074799357 |isbn=}}

==External links==
{{commons}}
{{wikisource category|Tarascon}}
{{EB1911 poster|Tarascon}}
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/19991009044145/http://www.tarascon.org/ Official city website]}}
*{{Search Mérimée|13108}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070602221747/http://membres.lycos.fr/tarascon/1/Histoire.htm Detailed history (click on blue links for details)] {{in lang|fr}}
* [http://www.casteland.com/pfr/chateau/paca/brhone/tarascon/tarascon_hist.htm History and pictures of the castle] {{in lang|fr}}
* [http://frederic.chapelet.free.fr/tarascon.htm Webpage about the organ in St Martha Church] {{in lang|fr}}
* [http://www.claudetravels.altervista.org/VdR/Tarascon/gal.html Pictures of the castle and church] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080619081944/http://www.claudetravels.altervista.org/VdR/Tarascon/gal.html |date=19 June 2008 }}
* [http://membres.lycos.fr/tarascon/1/Visite/Visite.htm More pictures of the town]

{{Bouches-du-Rhône communes}}

<!--[[File:Tarascon Castle.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Front of Tarascon Castle.]]-->
<!--[[File:Tarascon Castle (waterfall).jpg|right|thumb|250px|Tarascon Castle from front.]]-->
<!--[[File:Tarascon Castle 01.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Garden inside Tarascon Castle]]-->
<!--[[File:Tarasque float (left).jpg|right|thumb|250px|Model of the [[Tarasque]]]]-->
<!--[[File:Église Collégiale Sainte Marthe (Tarascon).jpg|right|thumb|190px|[[St Martha]]'s Collegiate Church]]-->
<!--[[File:Tarascon Castle (bridge).jpg|right|thumb|100px|Tarascon Castle close up.]]-->
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Tarascon| ]]
[[Category:Communes of Bouches-du-Rhône]]
[[Category:Bouches-du-Rhône communes articles needing translation from French Wikipedia]]