Orange, Vaucluse

The Battle of the Rhône Crossing was a battle during the Second Punic War in September of 218 BC. Hannibal marched on the Italian Alps, and an army of Gallic Volcae attacked the Carthaginian army on the east bank of the Rhône. The Roman army camped near Massalia. The Volcae tried to prevent the Carthaginians from crossing the Alps and invading Italy. Before they crossed the river, the Carthaginians sent a detachment to cross upriver, under Hanno, son of Bomilcar, and took up position behind the Gauls. Once the detachment was in place, Hannibal crossed the river with the main contingent of his army. As the Gauls massed to oppose Hannibal, Hanno attacked their rear and routed the Volcae army. This was Hannibal's first major battle (victory) outside of the Iberian Peninsula. It gave him an unopposed path to the Alps and into Italy.

The Principality of Orange (French: Principauté d'Orange) was, from 1163 to 1713, a feudal state in Provence, in the south of modern-day France, on the east bank of the river Rhone, north of the city of Avignon, and surrounded by the independent papal state of Comtat Venaissin. It was constituted in 1163, when Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I elevated the Burgundian County of Orange (consisting of the city of Orange and the land surrounding it) to a sovereign principality within the Empire. The principality became part of the scattered holdings of the house of Orange-Nassau from the time that William the Silent inherited the title of Prince of Orange from his cousin in 1544, until it was finally ceded to France in 1713 under the Treaty of Utrecht. Although permanently lost by the Nassaus then, this fief gave its name to the extant Royal House of the Netherlands. The area of the principality was approximately 12 miles (19 km) long by 9 miles (14 km) wide, or 108 square miles (280 km2).

The canton of Orange is an administrative division of the Vaucluse department, in southeastern France. It was created at the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015. Its seat is in Orange.It consists of the following communes: Caderousse Orange Piolenc

The ancient residential diocese of Orange in the Comtat Venaissin in Provence, a fief belonging to the papacy, was suppressed by the French government during the French Revolution. It was revived in 2009 as a titular see of the Catholic Church.

Orange Cathedral (Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-Nazareth d'Orange) is a Roman Catholic church and former cathedral, and national monument of France, located in the town of Orange, Vaucluse.

The Chorégies d'Orange is a summer opera festival held each August in Orange located about 21 kilometres north of Avignon in southern France. Performances are presented in the ancient Roman theatre, the Théâtre Antique d'Orange, the original stage wall of which has remained intact, creating a semi-circular auditorium which seats 9,000. A festival began in Orange in 1860 and was held periodically, but it was only after the Roman theatre was restored in 1869 that it became the location of a popular “Roman Festival” which celebrated the glory of Rome and included a performance of Méhul’s opera, Joseph. All the major players of the French classical stage appeared in the Orange festivals, including Sarah Bernhardt who played “Phèdre” in 1903. In 1902, the festival was given a new name, the “Chorégies,” and it was planned to take place annually. The name comes from the Greek χορηγός khorêgós "choir leader." Until 1969, the Chorégies consisted of plays, alternating with musical works, opera and symphonies. However, after that date, Orange became solely an opera festival and theatrical works were performed at Avignon. In 1971, the “New Chorégies” began, with a format not unlike the present one where only about six performances are given during the month-long festival, typically two performances of two operas along with a recital or concert. It quickly became an international success with many major international singers appearing.

The Roman Theatre of Orange (French: Théâtre antique d'Orange) is a Roman theatre in Orange, Vaucluse, France. It was built early in the 1st century AD. The structure is owned by the municipality of Orange and is the home of the summer opera festival, the Chorégies d'Orange. It is one of the best preserved of all Roman theatres, and served the Roman colony of Arausio (or, more specifically, Colonia Julia Firma Secundanorum Arausio: "the Julian colony of Arausio established by the soldiers of the second legion") which was founded in 40 BC. Playing a major role in the life of the citizens, who spent a large part of their free time there, the theatre was seen by the Roman authorities not only as a means of spreading Roman culture to the colonies, but also as a way of distracting them from all political activities. Mime, pantomime, poetry readings and the "attelana" (a kind of farce rather like the commedia dell'arte) were the dominant forms of entertainment, much of which lasted all day. For the common people, who were fond of spectacular effects, magnificent stage sets became very important, as was the use of stage machinery. The entertainment offered was open to all and free of charge. It has been restored to its former function, primarily for opera, alongside its use as a tourist spot. In 1981, the Roman Theatre was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List for its outstanding preservation and architecture.

The Triumphal Arch of Orange (French: Arc de triomphe d'Orange) is a triumphal arch located in the town of Orange, southeast France. There is debate about when the arch was built, but current research that accepts the inscription as evidence favours a date during the reign of emperor Augustus (27 BC–AD 14). It was built on the former via Agrippa to honor the veterans of the Gallic Wars and Legio II Augusta. It was later reconstructed by emperor Tiberius to celebrate the victories of Germanicus over the German tribes in Rhineland. The arch contains an inscription dedicated to emperor Tiberius in AD 27. Along with the Roman Theatre of Orange, the Triumphal Arch was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1981 because of its exceptional preservation.

The Battle of Arausio took place on 6 October 105 BC, at a site between the town of Arausio, now Orange, Vaucluse, and the Rhône river. Two Roman armies, commanded by proconsul Quintus Servilius Caepio and consul Gnaeus Mallius Maximus, clashed with the migratory tribes of the Cimbri under Boiorix and the Teutons under Teutobod. Differences between the Roman commanders prevented regular coordination between their armies, resulting in annihilation by the united Cimbrian-Teutonic force. Roman losses are thought to have been up to 80,000 legionaries in addition to 40,000 auxiliary troops. Total losses numbered up to 120,000 soldiers, the entirety of both armies. In terms of losses, this battle is regarded as the worst defeat in the history of ancient Rome, surpassing the Battle of Cannae. According to classical historians, as a direct result of the catastrophe, the Roman military was supposedly restructured under Gaius Marius via putative reforms to the organisation and recruitment of Roman legions, which would remain principally intact for centuries thereafter. Some modern historians contest the existence of sudden reforms under Marius.

The canton of Orange-Ouest is a French former administrative division in the department of Vaucluse and region Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. It had 24,579 inhabitants (2012). It was disbanded following the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015.

Château de Beaucastel is a winery located in the southern part of the Rhône valley in France, which is primarily noted for its Châteauneuf du Pape wines produced in a long-lived style. For its red Châteauneuf du Pape, Beaucastel includes all 13 grape varieties that are traditionally part of the blend, and uses a higher-than-usual proportion of Mourvèdre. The special Vieilles Vignes cuvée of Beaucastel's white Châteauneuf du Pape is a varietal Roussanne wine, which is rare in Rhône and rarer in Châteauneuf du Pape. Château de Beaucastel holds a total of 130 hectares (320 acres) of land, of which 100 hectares (250 acres) is planted with vineyards, three-quarters of which is within the Châteauneuf du Pape appellation.

The Harmas de Fabre, also known as the Musée Harmas Jean-Henri Fabre, is a museum, botanical garden, and herbarium located on the Route d'Orange, Sérignan-du-Comtat, Vaucluse, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France. It is open daily except Wednesday in the warmer months; an admission fee is charged. The museum contains the house and the garden of naturalist and entomologist Jean Henri Fabre (1823-1915) who moved into this house in 1879, after which he devoted the rest of his life to the study of insects and flora. The word harmas means "fallow ground" in Provençal. In 1922 the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle acquired the site, and in 1955 nearly 700 watercolors, hand painted by Fabre, were found in attics of Harmas by his grandson. In 1998 the site was classified as a monument historique; restored by the Ministry of Culture and Communication, it opened to the public in 2006. Today the museum contains Fabre's collections of fossils, minerals, 594 watercolors of mushrooms, manuscripts, a private herbarium of more than 20,000 specimens including plants harvested by Fabre during his stay in Corsica (1849-1852), and the small table on which his manuscripts were written, most notably the Souvenirs Entomologiques. The gardens contain 20 historic trees and over 500 plant species, as well as trails and a pool, and a small cold greenhouse built in 1880.