The capital of the Christian world

Avignon belonged to the Empire, on the frontiers with the kingdom of France. It belonged exactly to the Duke of Anjou. This fact besides the privileged geographic situation helped in the choice of the city for the Pope Clement V (originally from Bordeaux) to come to Avignon in 1309 who left Rome because of the insecurity. This event opened a new prestigious era which lasted for almost a century with 9 popes ( two were schismatic ).

Cultural , spiritual, economic and political capital of the Christianity , it became one of the most populated and wealthy city in the medieval Europe.

An exceptional Gothic architecture

With the arrival of the Pope, the whole city started to change, the Popes Palace was rising, meanwhile the Cardinals Palace was under construction, the Gothic style was dominating the romanesque style in the churches. With the new style, new schools were emerging as well as hospitals and religious institutions. In 1355, started the construction of the ramparts to protect the city from all sorts of attacks, with their perimeter of 4.3 km (today entirely conserved) , Avignon was the second important city in France after Paris. Now-a-days, the heritage of that period gives today, the largest and the most beautiful ensemble of Gothic art in Europe.

The Popes Palace

The palace was the siege of the pontifical government as well as the home of the Pope, it was edified in two different stages. The ancient part was austere, it was built between 1334 and 1342 by Benoit XII, the latter part edified and decorated between1342 and 1352 by his successor Clément VI.
Avignon still conserves a beautiful series of wall frescos dated from the XIVth cent. The most important and the most precious one, is in the Popes Palace, the rest could be seen in the museum Le Petit Palais and the Church St. Didier and the Ceccano mansion (public library). Others , like the frescos of the Viviers mansion or in the tower Jacqmart in the city hall are not open to the public.

Saint Didier church, the steeple

Rebuilt between 1356 and 1359 , it represents the Provençal gothic architecture with its unique nave, to which, are attached other churches: Notre Dame de Bon-Repos in Montfavet and the Collegialle of Villeneuve-lez-Avignon.

The Ceccano library

During the XIVth century, Avignon had many of such palaces, this palace was built around 1340 for the Cardinal Annibal de Ceccano. It was the object of a perfect restoration, today it is the city public library, the decoration there is admirable (reading and lending halls).

The ramparts

This fence built during the XIVth c is unique, it was fully restored during the XIXth c on its southern part.