As capital of the Comtat Venaissin, it was frequently the residence of the Avignon popes; the Papal States retained possession of the Venaissin until the French Revolution. Nowadays, Carpentras is a commercial center for Comtat Venaissin and is famous for the black truffle markets held from winter to early spring.
Carpentras briefly held France's all-time high-temperature record, during the heatwave of June 2019.[4]
Carpentras was a commercial site used by Greek merchants in ancient times, and known to Romans at first as Carpentoracte Meminorum, mentioned by Pliny, then renamed Forum Neronis ("Forum of Nero"); the city retains an impressive Romantriumphal arch, that has been enclosed by the bishops' palace, rebuilt in 1640, now a law court, and a machicolatedcity gate, the Porte d'Orange.
Joseph-Dominique d'Inguimbert, Bishop of Carpentras from 1735 to 1754, established a great scholarly library which Jean-François Delmas, the chief librarian as of 2009, has called "the oldest of our municipal libraries"; known as the Bibliothèque Inguimbertine and now holding around 140,000 books, it is known to bibliophiles all over France and is scheduled to move into roomier quarters in the former Hôtel-Dieu in 2013.[6][full citation needed]
French Revolution and return to France
Until 1791, Carpentras was part of the Papal States, not of the Kingdom of France.
Like most communities across France, Carpentras played a role in the 1789-1799 French Revolution, particularly during the rule of the French Directory. After the 'Anti-Royalist' September 4, 1797 Coup of 18 Fructidor, on October 22, 1797, counter-revolutionaries take the city's government and hold it in protest for 24 hours.
Jewish community
Into the 20th and 21st centuries, Carpentras has been an important centre of French Judaism and is home to the oldest synagogue in France, which opened in 1367 and is still active today[when?]. The Jewish cemetery was desecrated by members of the French and European Nationalist Party in May 1990, causing a public uproar and a demonstration in Paris that was attended by 200,000 people, including then-president François Mitterrand.[7]
Population
Historical population
Year
Pop.
±% p.a.
1793
9,900
—
1800
8,489
−2.17%
1806
9,674
+2.20%
1821
9,099
−0.41%
1831
9,817
+0.76%
1836
9,224
−1.24%
1841
9,776
+1.17%
1846
10,198
+0.85%
1851
10,711
+0.99%
1856
10,891
+0.33%
1861
10,918
+0.05%
1866
10,848
−0.13%
1872
10,524
−0.50%
1876
10,479
−0.11%
1881
9,699
−1.54%
1886
9,685
−0.03%
1891
9,778
+0.19%
1896
10,797
+2.00%
Year
Pop.
±% p.a.
1901
10,443
−0.66%
1906
10,721
+0.53%
1911
11,390
+1.22%
1921
11,191
−0.18%
1926
11,805
+1.07%
1931
12,632
+1.36%
1936
13,732
+1.68%
1946
14,222
+0.35%
1954
15,076
+0.73%
1962
18,199
+2.38%
1968
21,388
+2.73%
1975
24,251
+1.81%
1982
24,838
+0.34%
1990
24,212
−0.32%
1999
26,090
+0.83%
2007
28,526
+1.12%
2012
28,520
−0.00%
2017
28,309
−0.15%
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.
Carpentras stands on the banks of the river Auzon, a tributary of the Sorgue. It is 23 km southwest of Mont Ventoux, and 23 km northeast of Avignon. Carpentras station has rail connections to Sorgues and Avignon.
Carpentras is famous for the Truffle market that takes place every Friday morning during the winter months.[13]
Its traditional confectionery is the berlingot, a small hard candy with thin white stripes, originally made from the syrup left over from conservation of fruits.
Personalities
Carpentras was the birthplace of (chronologically):
Carpentras (also known as Elzéar Genet) (c.1470–1548), prominent early Renaissance composer
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