After the departure of the Papacy from Avignon, the city was governed by legates named by the Pope, then by the vice legates. Capital of a small state enclosed little by little in a foreign land, like some now-a-days princedoms, Avignon used to have an important industrial, commercial and financial activities.

The wealth of the city reflected on the intellectual and the artistic circles . With the subsidies of the papacy, during the XVth and XVIth cent. The "Ecole d’Avignon" of arts became well known and developed to create the Piéta masterpiece (shown in the Louvre museum).

The architecture of the renaissance in Avignon is rather flamboyant gothic style than antic influence style.

The whole urban form of the city changes in the XVIIth cent. Thanks to very talented architects such as Martelange, Royers de la valfenières orMignard whose initiatives covered the city with splendid baroque monuments and buildings

The French national appeal

Avignon was already looking towards Paris. During the XVIII the French style was there, transmitted with architect dynasties as Franque or Péru. The mansions were systematically built with a court and a garden, this tradition went on until 1791, when the city voted its preference for France, this vote was the first application of the latest law concerning the right of people to decide their own destiny.

Le Petit Palais Museum

First Cardinalice palace, then the Archbishops residence. The present architecture of the petit palais is due the Archbishop-legate of Avignon Julien de la Rovere, who made it built between 1481 and 1495. Now-a-days, it is a remarkable medieval art museum: Italian paintings from the XIIIth to XVIth century, roman and gothic Avignonese sculpture, and paintings from Avignon school of art ( XIVth- XVIth c.).

Saint-Pierre church

The flamboyant façade was built during the first quarter of the VXIth c, it is the most beautiful one among all of those of churches of Avignon. Wonderful wooden doors were sculpted in1551.

Monnaies mansion

A great example of the baroque architecture, and the most Italian façade in the city. Edified in 1619 . today, it is the Olivier Messiaen music conservatoire.

The Calvet Museum

The main museum of this city, is in a splendid mansion (Villeneuve-Martignan), built between 1741 and 1753 by the architect Jean-Baptiste Franque, where there are important collections of paintings and sculptures from the XVth and the XXth c ,an important donation M. Puech composed from furniture, crockery, statues, jewels and paintings, as well as a modern art hall where Soutine, Manet, Sisley are next to Camille Claudel, Glaise and many others.