Monastery Saint-Paul de Mausole — Attraction in Arles

On the first weekend of February, we went to Arles to follow in the footsteps of Van Gogh. On Monday, February 6th, before returning to Italy, we went to Saint Paul de Mausole. The detailed online site indicated that it was open every day. However, when we arrived at the gate, a sign indicated that the site was closed annually from December 31st, 2022 to February 12th, 2023.

It is more than legitimate to close the site, but why not indicate it on the website? While I was looking at the driveway through the gate, a friendly, middle-aged gentleman arrived. I greeted him and added that we had come from afar. The gentleman, without any insistence on my part, kindly invited us in, showing us the way to the famous cloister, which I believe is the heart of the visit.

A little while later, he left in his car. Once we reached the end of the driveway, we tried to follow his instructions to see the cloister. We greeted a worker and explained that we had been given permission to enter. A few minutes later, two women came out of the building and, in an immediately hostile and rude manner, addressed us, saying "it's closed" and treating us like intruders. It was not possible to explain to them that we had been allowed to enter. Our 12-year-old son was unpleasantly struck by their aggressive and arrogant manners. Certainly offended by their rudeness, I tried to explain that we had not entered secretly and therefore did not deserve such an offensive treatment. I was addressed with an accusation of "hysteria." However, it happens that I am a psychiatrist and unfortunately I know what such a label has brought for many women. I hope that the two rude ladies are not healthcare workers, it would be really sad for the people still hospitalized at Saint Paul. We hope that they only deal with the tourist center in...

We decided to head to Van Gogh’s asylum late in the day and arrived shortly before it closed at 1800/6:00pm. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I can tell you honestly, what we say was a lot better. I had no idea how many of his seminal works came from his time in St. Remy! Walking around and seeing the vantage points from where he painted the masterworks you’ve seen forever was pretty special.

On the other hand, some of the things they did to those people in the asylum were pretty barbaric.

We followed the paper guide that was provided and it told a great story. We took 45-60 minutes to wander around and see what we could see. We took loads of pictures and used our imagination.

Something we learned on at the end of the tour was the asylum still hosts people in need of help. Obviously in a modern facility across the property, but they use the same art therapy that they used during Van Gogh’s stay.

I recommend a visit, but remember, it’s not flashy, it’s just a special place that...

We stumbled on here when my wife was on the lookout for local lavender fields - and it came up on a Google search. I'm soooo glad that it did, as I wouldn't have missed seeing this for the world. To see where Van Gogh lived for a while and painted Starry Night was just such an emotional experience for me - and I'm not ashamed to say that it brought me to tears at several times throughout our visit. It's only 7 Euros to get in - and easily worth much more. Re parking - it's not easy to see from the road that the parking here is free - and I parked across the other side of the road where it's metered. Just go up the drive to the Monastery and you can park there for free. My wife and I will definitely be back to visit the next time we...