Avignon

We are spending our last day in Provence visiting Avignon, another ancient town.

Walking into town the Pont Benezet stretched across the Rhone and the Palace of the Popes nestled ahead on a head.

Our wonderful tour guides Dott and Mike.

This amazing medieval wall is around much of the town.

The square in front of the Palace of the Popes.

In 1309 the Frenchman Bertrand de Got, who had been elected and crowned Supreme Pontiff in 1305, refused to go to Rome, choosing instead to install himself temporarily in the Dominican Convent at Avignon. Seven Popes were to reign there until the election of Martin v in 1417 and the return of the seat of the Papacy to Rome.

Clement's successor, John XXII (1316-34), moved to the former bishop's palace, which he converted into a Papal Palace, on the Rocher des Doms, alongside the cathedral. Benedict XII (1334-42) gradually demolished this building and replaced it with what is now known as the Old Palace, covering the northern part of the present monument, a structure that took the master-builder Pierre Poisson eighteen years to complete. It was Benedict's successor, Clement VI (1342-52), who was to complete the ensemble, under the direction of Jean de Louvres, who brought with him from the Ile-de-France the high Gothic style than prevailing there. Clement entrusted the interior decoration to the famous Italian Painter Matteo Giovannetti from Viterbo, who worked on the Chapels of St John and St Martial while waiting for the New Palace to be completed. He also supervised the work of French and Italian Painters on other halls and rooms within the palace.

Avignon had been sold to Clement VI in 1348 by Queen Joan of Naples and Sicily (she had been accused of killing her first husband so this was the deal made) and it was to remain the residence of the Italian Papal legates for nearly four hundred years after the Papacy had returned to Rome, until they were expelled at the time of the Revolution, when the people of Avignon, which had benefited markedly from its long association with the Papacy, opted to join France. In 1793 the Convention decided to demolish this "Bastille du Midi," but the massive building defied their efforts. It passed to the ownership of the town in 1810,and eight years later was put at the disposal of the Minister of war, Who used it as a barracks until 1906, when it was returned to the town.

The Papal Palace is a historical palace in Avignon, southern France, one of the largest and most important medieval Gothic buildings in Europe. One time fortress and palace, the papal residence was the seat of Western Christianity during the 14th century. Six papal conclaves were held in the Palais, leading to the elections of Benedict XII in 1334, Clement VI in 1342, Innocent VI in 1352, Urban V in 1362, Gregory XI in 1370 and Antipope Benedict XIII in 1394.

It was a shame that we couldn't take photos of the walls that were painted. Many of them had parts of the original medieval scenes.

View of the Rhone from the top of the Palace.

Next stop was the Pont Saint-Bénézet, also known as the Pont d'Avignon which is a famous medieval bridge

A bridge spanning the Rhone between Villeneuve-lès-Avignon and Avignon was built between 1177 and 1185. This early bridge was destroyed forty years later during the Albigensian Crusade when Louis VIII of France laid siege to Avignon. The bridge was rebuilt with 22 stone arches although it is debatable whether it was all completed in stone or wood. It was very costly to maintain as the arches tended to collapse when the Rhone flooded. Eventually in the middle of the 17th century the bridge was abandoned. The four surviving arches on the bank of the Rhone are believed to have been built in around 1345 by Pope Clement VI during the Avignon Papacy. The Chapel of Saint Nicholas sits on the second pier of the bridge. It was constructed in the second half of 12th century but has since been substantially altered. The western terminal, the Tour Philippe-le-Bel, is also preserved.

The bridge was the inspiration for the song Sur le pont d'Avignon and is considered a landmark of the city. In 1995, the surviving arches of the bridge, together with the Palais des Papes and Cathédrale Notre-Dame des Doms were classified as a World Heritage Site.

Geoff and I tried to learn the Song but kept forgetting words so we just substituted any random French word we knew.

Chapel on the Middle of the bridge dedicated to St Benezet who apparently had received a vision to build the bridge.

The history of Avignon itself is interesting. The era of the Popes somewhat eclipses other events in what is a long and tumultuous history. At the crossroads of the big trade and migratory routes between northern and southern Europe and between Italy and Spain, the city played a major role in European history.

A Phoenician trading post during the High Antiquity, Avignon then became a flourishing Roman town. It suffered greatly from the barbarian invasions, followed by those of the Moors and the Francs in the High Middle Ages. With the expansion of trade, and benefiting from its strategic position and its bridge over the Rhône, it had the status of a free town, strong and arrogant enough to defy the King of France.

A charming miniature of Avignon at the beginning of the 15 th century.

The presence of the Popes made Avignon the capital of the Medieval western world in the 15th century. A papal territory up until the French Revolution it was then incorporated into France.

On the way back from Avignon we called into a Cooperative Wine place and did some tasting. Mike and Dott bought a few boxes for home.

Notre Dame D'aubune Chapel, the lost church we had been looking for a few days ago.

Another great day.