1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Salon

SALON, a town of south-eastern France, in the department of Boûches-du-Rhône, 40 m. N.N.W. of Marseilles by rail. Pop. (1906), town, 9927; commune, 14,050. Salon is situated on the eastern border of the plain of Crau and on the irrigation canal of Craponne, the engineer of which, Adam de Craponne (1519–1559, has a statue in the town, where he was born. The chief buildings are the church of St Laurent (14th century), which contains the tomb of Michael Nostradamus, the famous astrologer, who died at Salon in 1565, and the church of St Michel (12th century), with a fine Romanesque portal. The central and oldest part of the town preserves a gateway of the 15th century and the remains of fortifications. There are remains of Roman walls near Salon, and in the hôtel-de-ville (17th century) there is a milestone of the 4th century. The town carries on an active trade in oil and soap, which are the chief of its numerous manufactures. Olives are largely grown in the district, and there is a large trade in them and in almonds.