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FRANCE | Marseille & Aix en Provence, France Travel Guide
Friday, April 26, 2024
A Brief History of Aix-en-Provence
A Brief History of Aix-en-Provence
Aix en Provence, like much of this region, was already part of a loose trading federation of Celto-Ligurian tribes when the Romans arrived. Their fortified settlement and capital, the Oppidum of Entremont, lies just under two miles from the center of Aix old town.
In 122 BC, the Romans were secure enough in their control of the area to move down from the defensive plateau of Entremont and establish a spa town at the crossroads of their major European routes and about halfway between their colonies in Italy and Spain. They founded what is now Aix en Provence under the bare limestone peak of Mont Sainte Victoire – the familiar peak so often painted by Paul Cézanne.
Very quickly, the town became noted for the purity of its springs, some of which are thermal. They named the town Aquae Sextiae – the waters of Sextius – after the Roman consul Sextius Calvinus. Over a period of nearly 2,000 years, that name migrated through various Gallic and Provençal dialects to become the present-day Aix en Provence.
Near the end of the 12th century, Aix became the court of the Counts of Provence, who kept the region virtually independent of the Kings of France and Savoy for about 300 years.
The origin of the troubadour tradition and the roots of French literature in courtly romances and Provençal poetry arose within their palaces. The University, which is still a center of learning, was founded in 1409 by Louis II, Count of Anjou and Provence. Its Faculty of Law, now The Institute of Political Studies, had far-reaching influence. Written law, which (in France) originated in Aix, spread from there, eventually replacing the common law practiced throughout the rest of Northern Gaul. Louis’ son, the legendary Roi René, with his queen, La Reine Jeanne, fostered art and music and presided over a period that is generally regarded as the town’s golden age. Music and dance – traditional, classical and contemporary – remain important in Aix, with several major festivals taking place throughout the year.
Following his reign, Provence was incorporated into the Kingdom of France but Aix remained rebellious for several hundred years. This is probably why a small section of ramparts, near the northern edge of the old town, is virtually all that is left of the medieval city.
It was not until the reign of Louis XIV, the Sun King, in the 17th century, that Aix returned to prosperity as a courtly center of judicial and ecclesiastical power. Today’s town is a feast of 17th- and 18th-century, Baroque urban mansions. Most of the fountains, for which Aix is well-known and which give some areas the constant sound of splashing water, date from the Baroque era as well.
Last updated November 18, 2013
Posted in France | Marseille & Aix en Provence
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