Blog post Locations linked to Vincent van Gogh Saint-Rémy-de-Provence was first published on Culture Tourist on May 10th 2019.

Vincent van Gogh spent a year at the asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. Although it was a time when he struggled with his mental illness, he created some beautiful paintings inspired by nature in a garden and around the hospital. I’ve spent two days in this French town and looked for some places related to Van Gogh’s life.

Locations linked to Vincent van Gogh in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence

Van Gogh came to Saint-Rémy-de-Provence in May 1889, after living for the last one year in Arles. After being treated at the mental hospital there, and after the citizens of Arles signed a petition in which they asked him to leave the town, he’s submitting himself at the mental institution in a near-by Saint-Rémy-de-Provence.

Although dealing with the attacks and anxiety, Vincent created some of his very famous paintings there. He found his motives in the hospital garden and has painted them on many of his paintings. When feeling better, he would go for a walk in near Alpilles mountains and paint nature there.

Van Gogh visited the village only once during the year he spent there. His painting style changed a lot during his time there. Restfulness, swirls and movement are much more visible on his paintings from that time.

After a year he has spent in a hospital, Théophile Peyron, a doctor who was treating him, proclaimed him to be cured. Vincent went to Paris to visit his brother Theo and his family. After spending two days there, he went to Auvers-sur-Oise, where he died two months later.

⤷ Read more: Van Gogh Museum Highlights

How much time to spend in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence

I spent two days there, and it’s a minimum I would suggest to anyone looking for places related to van Gogh in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. However, if you would like to explore the nature around the village more, you can easily spend the whole week in that area.

I stayed at the Hotel Gounod, a lovely boutique hotel located right in the village’s centre. It was named after the French composer Charles Gounod, who stayed in that hotel in 1864 and wrote his opera Mireille while there. Well, you won’t believe it, but I stayed in the same room as he did – room no 10.

⤷ TIP: Rent a bicycle in one of the rental shops. It’s one of the best ways to explore the village and its surroundings.

Places related to Van Gogh in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence

Alpilles Mountains

There are many places related to the life and work of Van Gogh in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. I have started with going outside the village, to the Alpilles mountains. I’ve taken a walk from the village towards the mountains, located at the outskirts of it, around one kilometre from its centre.

Although not directly related to Vincent’s life, I also visited the archaeological site Glanum during my walk. It was a town that was founded in the 6th century BC. Excavation started in the early 20th century, so it was probably a green area with olive trees and flowers during Vincent’s time, where he would come to paint. It’s located just next to the hospital where he was treated.

There are many hiking paths at Alpilles mountains, so I’ve taken a walk and just wandered around nature there. I had a few reproductions of Van Gogh’s paintings, he created while in Saint-Rémy. So, I looked for similarities in landscape, trees and flowers. It was so amazing to recognise colours and motives from his paintings. Different places where he stayed really affected his painting style a lot.

⤷ Read More: Archaeological sites you have to visit in Europe

Musée des Alpilles

Address: 1 Place Charles Favier, 13210 Saint-Rémy-de-Provence

After a beautiful sunny morning in the Alpilles mountains, I went back to the village. Saint-Rémy-de-Provence is a charming little village filled with historic architecture and artistic vibe. It was interesting to find out, it was the birthplace of Nostradamus in the 16th century, for example.

I wanted to learn more about it and Provence’s area at the end of the 19th century when Vincent lived there. So, I went to Musée des Alpilles.

While browsing through its collection, I found the most amazing thing there. Three, according to the inscription next to them, typical Arles vases from the 19th century. And they looked utterly the same as a vase on Van Gogh’s ‘The Sunflowers’. They are yellow with an upper part that’s glazed. I was pretty amazed by that finding.

Like with what I felt while walking through the landscape, I could recognize from Van Gogh’s paintings. It felt like his art was coming to life when I saw some of the objects that were motives in his paintings, too.

Saint-Rémy-de-Provence was the last stop on my trip during which I followed the footsteps of van Gogh, so I took a bit of a slower pace there. I decided to finish my day early and save some energy for exploring the village tomorrow.

Although the weather forecast said there’s going to be cloudy in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, I was woken up by some gorgeous sun the next day. And it ended up being a beautiful day to continue my search for Van Gogh in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence.

After a delicious breakfast at my hotel, I met with Philippe. He is a local Van Gogh expert and one of the partners in the Van Gogh Route project. I was fortunate to have him as my guide for a day because he has shown me all of those exciting places linked to Vincent’s life.

Musée Estrine

Address: 8 Rue Lucien Estrine, 13210 Saint-Rémy-de-Provence

We started our day by paying a visit to Musée Estrine. Located right in the village centre, it has a small section and a movie dedicated to Vincent van Gogh. It’s a lovely place to start with for anyone visiting Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. The most interesting part of the exhibition to me was a graphic showing Van Gogh’s fame progress. It was interesting to see how and when he became one of the most famous painters in the world today.

⤷ Read more: Best museums in Paris

Signs with Van Gogh paintings

Address: Between Musée Estrine and Saint-Paul-de-Mausole

After visiting a museum, we followed the 1.5 kilometres long path connecting it with Saint-Paul-de-Mausole. There are signs with reproductions of paintings Van Gogh has created while in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. They are accompanied by inserts from his letters. I loved stumbling on them during my visit. It felt like I was looking at the nature around me through Van Gogh’s eyes.

Saint-Paul-de-Mausole

Address: 2 Voie Communale des Carrières, 13210 Saint-Rémy-de-Provence

Following that path, we came to the place where Vincent stayed while in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. Saint-Paul-de-Mausole is still used as a hospital today. And only one small part of it is open to visitors.

There are reproductions of his paintings in the garden of the hospital. One of the most famous paintings he has painted while there is ‘The Starry Night’, located in MoMA in New York today. A small exhibition about his time there is on display in a part of the hospital that’s open to the public. It was pretty interesting to learn about some ways mental illness was treated during the 19th century.

Although the room in which he stayed can’t be seen, there is a reconstruction of it created in a hospital. With its dark walls and an old metal bed, the room’s interior was in huge contrast with hospital’s beautiful garden and surroundings. If nothing else, it’s symbolising his state of mind during that time quite well.

The garden of the hospital was fascinating. It’s a place where Van Gogh found many of his motives during that time. Trees and flowers from it had an important place as subjects on his paintings.

Les Grands Fonds Quarry

Address: Route de Maillane, 13520 Les Baux-de-Provence

After lunch at a local restaurant, we drove through the Alpilles mountains to Les Grands Fonds quarry. It’s not used as a quarry anymore, but a cultural institution and a fantastic space where digital exhibitions and other cultural events are organized. It’s called Carrières de Lumières, and it’s located literally inside the mountain.

The digital exhibition they had in a moment was very appropriate for my trip, ‘Van Gogh, Starry Night’. The same one I’ve seen a few days before in Paris. But, to be honest, I loved it in this space much more!

Although Van Gogh’s time in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence was marked by his mental illness, it was also a place where he created some of his most famous and very beautiful paintings. His style changed a lot during that time. However, seeing the nature he painted, his motives and colours while there was something that made my visit so special.

You can read all of the posts from my Van Gogh trip below:

Would you like to learn more about Van Gogh’s artworks and places linked to his life and art in the Netherlands, Belgium and France? Check out Culture Tourist Art Webinar: Meet Vincent van Gogh! Click on the picture below to read more and book.

Van Gogh Art Webinar

My visit to Saint-Rémy-de-Provence and places related to Van Gogh’s life there was a part of my “Follow the Footsteps of Vincent van Gogh” trip. It was supported and organized by Van Gogh Europe and their partners. Many thanks to all of them, Hotel Gounod and especially to Philippe, for helping me organise it.

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