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Carpentras
Carpentras
Subprefecture and commune
	Town hall
	Coat of arms
	Location of Carpentras
	Carpentras Carpentras
	Coordinates: 44°03′21″N 5°02′56″E / 44.0558°N 05.0489°E
Country	France
Region	Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Department	Vaucluse
Arrondissement	Carpentras
Canton	Carpentras
Intercommunality	CA Ventoux-Comtat Venaissin
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Serge Andrieu
Area 1	37.92 km2 (14.64 sq mi)
Population (2021)	30,769
• Density	810/km2 (2,100/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	84031 /84200
Elevation	56–212 m (184–696 ft) ; (avg. 95 m or 312 ft)
	1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Carpentras (French pronunciation: [kaʁpɑ̃tʁa], formerly [kaʁpɑ̃tʁas];^[3] Provençal Occitan: Carpentràs in classical norm or Carpentras in Mistralian norm; Latin: Carpentoracte) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.

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]

History

Classical antiquity

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 a Roman triumphal arch, that has been enclosed by the bishops' palace, rebuilt in 1640, now a law court, and a machicolated city gate, the Porte d'Orange.

Ancient Diocese of Carpentras

For the history of the bishopric of Carpentras, see Ancient Diocese of Carpentras.

Middle Ages

At the beginning of the Avignon Papacy, Pope Clement V took up residence, along with the Roman Curia, in Carpentras in 1313. His successor, Pope John XXII, settled definitively at Avignon.

Municipal library

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%

Source: EHESS^[8] and INSEE (1968–2017)^[9]

Geography

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.

Climate

In the Köppen climate classification, Carpentras has a borderline humid subtropical (Cfa),^[10] and hot-summer mediterranean climate (Csa) with cool winters and hot summers. The rainiest seasons are spring (April–May) and autumn (September–October), where heavy downpours may happen.

Climate data for Carpentras (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1963–present)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	21.0 (69.8)	23.1 (73.6)	28.1 (82.6)	30.8 (87.4)	35.4 (95.7)	44.3 (111.7)	41.6 (106.9)	42.2 (108.0)	36.0 (96.8)	31.2 (88.2)	24.9 (76.8)	21.5 (70.7)	44.3 (111.7)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	11.1 (52.0)	12.8 (55.0)	17.1 (62.8)	20.4 (68.7)	24.6 (76.3)	29.1 (84.4)	32.3 (90.1)	31.9 (89.4)	26.4 (79.5)	21.1 (70.0)	15.0 (59.0)	11.3 (52.3)	21.1 (70.0)
Daily mean °C (°F)	6.1 (43.0)	6.9 (44.4)	10.5 (50.9)	13.6 (56.5)	17.7 (63.9)	21.7 (71.1)	24.4 (75.9)	24.0 (75.2)	19.5 (67.1)	15.3 (59.5)	9.9 (49.8)	6.5 (43.7)	14.7 (58.5)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	1.0 (33.8)	1.1 (34.0)	4.0 (39.2)	6.9 (44.4)	10.8 (51.4)	14.4 (57.9)	16.5 (61.7)	16.1 (61.0)	12.7 (54.9)	9.5 (49.1)	4.9 (40.8)	1.8 (35.2)	8.3 (46.9)
Record low °C (°F)	−15.4 (4.3)	−12.5 (9.5)	−11.8 (10.8)	−2.9 (26.8)	0.1 (32.2)	4.4 (39.9)	7.6 (45.7)	6.7 (44.1)	2.2 (36.0)	−3.1 (26.4)	−9.0 (15.8)	−12.0 (10.4)	−15.4 (4.3)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	46.3 (1.82)	34.2 (1.35)	41.3 (1.63)	61.1 (2.41)	55.6 (2.19)	41.7 (1.64)	25.7 (1.01)	40.6 (1.60)	98.7 (3.89)	87.6 (3.45)	90.8 (3.57)	41.9 (1.65)	665.5 (26.20)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm)	5.9	4.8	5.1	6.8	6.3	4.5	3.0	3.7	5.5	6.6	7.9	5.6	65.8
Source: Meteociel^[11]

Economy

Roux Graineterie of Carpentras

Traditions

Carpentras is famous for the truffle market that takes place every Friday morning during the winter months.^[12]

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.