Arles, Day 2 continued.

After the Cryptoportico, we went to the 13th century Romanesque church of St. Trophime across the square from the Town Hall.  There's a long kind of gory story blahbbity blah about how St. Trophime became a saint, which I will spare you, mostly because I can't remember it.  He was the first Bishop of Arles, in the third century, so 1,000 years before the church was built.  The facade of the church is quite beautiful because of the carvings. I've taken these pictures from the internet:

Here's a close up of Daniel and the lions from the front. Rather fetching, I think.

There are two or three things that stand out for me.  First, the church has a small chapel filled with relics, mostly bone fragments, of the saints and bishops of Arles.   These relics are in elaborate gold and silver boxes and they are definitely weird.   Secondly, for obscure and mysterious reasons, the Chapel of Our Lady of Victory at Saint Catherine's in St. Paul, is modelled on St. Trophime in Arles.  It's the same general shape, but without the gorgeous Romanesque carvings.  See Below.