When Clement V, the first Avignon Pope, established his quarters in the large Couvent des Prêcheurs, he thought that the pappal residency on the banks of the Rhône would be temporary. The same was not true of his emmediate successors.

When John XXII was elected in 1316 he already knew the city quite well, having been bishop there several years earlier. He made his former Episcopal palace into his residence. With the installation of the pontificate he enlarged and redecorated the former bishop's chambers. He had the Eglise Saint-Etienne situated at the southern flank of the Cathédrale Notre-Dame-des-Doms transformed into the pontifical chapel.

That is where the major liturgical ceremonies of the curia would have taken place. In 1319 he had a courtroom erected to the south of his palace, where apostolic tribunals sat.

Benedict XII and the Construction of the Palace : 1334-1342

John XII died in 1334 and Benedict XII , a former Cistercian monk, succeeded him. He undertook important works on the palace from the very first year of his pontificate. These he confided to one of his compatriots, Pierre Poisson. The first undertaking was the construction of a large, solidly fortified tower, to hold the court's most important articles and people. This tall tower was positioned to the south of the former Episcopal palace, and Benedict XII moved in.

At the same time, Benedict XII had a large two-floor chapel built. In quick succession, Pierre Poisson pursued works to the north (wings of the private chambers and the Study Tower in 1337-38). He then progressively had each of the wings of the older palace destroyed, in order to erect a new construction, apparently basing his work on the preexisting spatial organizationo the east, spaces granted to official powers (Consistory and Tinel) ; to the west the entourage's lodgings ; to the south, the large guest accommodations where the kings of France and emperor stayed. Each of these core structures had a courtyard .

Finally, powerful ramparts reinforced the entire southern and eastern sides of the palace, encompassing the gardens that Benedict XII enjoyed developing, and where he probably located the animal menagerie bequeathed by his predecessor.

The palace, from Clement VI to Gregory XI

The main physical plan of the palace was to last to the reign of Clement VI, who refurbished it upon his election in 1342. Clement VI sought to double the surface area of the building and to completely renovate the pictoral décoration. He began by increasing the size his private chambers through the construction of the tower called " de la garde robe "(wardrobe), attached to the southern wall of the Pope's Tower. Then the construction of additional spaces were entrusted to Jean de Louvres (originally form the Paris region), with whom the Pope was close.

A southern wing, composed of a large chapel above the grand audience chamber was undertaken in 1345. They indicate the pontif's will to effectuate an ambitious architectural program. The large and solemn volumes, adorned with manifold sculptures, mainly of animal and vegetable themes, contrast with the bare spaces of Benedict XII. The same inspiration led to the construction of the western wing, called des " Grands Dignitaire's ", where the eminent persons connected with the curia were lodged and worked. Clement VI also had superb fountains constructed.

When Clement VI died in 1352 the palace had practically the same appearance it has today. The pontiffs who succeeded him contributed works of embellishment. Innocent VI completed projects begun under his predecessor, such as the towers of Saint-Laurent and de la Gâche (1353-58), and instituded a certain number of improvements to the circulation of movement,
such as the now-destroyed bridge that used to bear his name.

Urban V was elected in 1362. Already preoccupied with the project of returning to Italy, he contented himself with creating the famous gallery called Roma in the upper gardens. Gregory XI, elected in 1370, approached his reign in the same way. He only undertook works of maintenance, being much more involved with an often entertained notion : getting the papacy back to Rome (1376).

Interior Layout and Decoration

Such were the main stages of the edifice's construction in the fourteenth century. The major part of the work was accomplished at a rapid pace, in less than twenty years, benefiting from exceptional financing that delved deep into the Church's Treasury. Expenses for the purchase of construction materials, equipment, scalffolding, payment of employees (from manual day laborers to master registries of the Apostolic Treasury, now within the secret archives of the Vatican in Rome. Since the late nineteenth century, access to this inestimable treasure house has greatly facilitated the writing of the history of this palace.

In the walls and part of the decoration remain, it is more difficult form an idea of the ornemental furnishings or the kinds of activity that took place at this site. It is also impossible to gauge how many members of the curia worked in the palace each day, or lived there. The only certainty is that activity was bustling. Illustrious guests were received and handed keys to the comfortable chambers. Elaborate religious ceremonies were conducted in the chapels. Administrative work was accomplished in the myriad offices filled with busy notaries and scribes.

Calculations were made of accounting documents and tax receipts from throughout Christendom were calculated.

The palace fulfilled the multiple prerequistes of one of the greatest princes of is time, serving at once as residence, place of worship, fortress and " administrative city ". The ceremonial value of the palace was essential. The sumptuous decor on its walls enhanced the magnificence and prestige of the pontiff's actions. All the walls were covered with colored plaster, geometrical paintings, subtle or lavish imagery. The main part of the extant decoration dates from Clement VI's command.

Working closely with his official painter Matteo Giovannetti, his intention was to elaborate large ensembles, bearing witness to the grandeur of the Church through their pomp, depicting the links between Avignon and Rome (Chapelle Saint-Martial and Chapelle Saint-Jean), emphasizing the function of particulars halls (Consistoire and Grande audiance) or inciting a serene and cultivated enjoyment of nature (Deer Room).

Emboldened by the pope's patronage and the distance of his masters, a perfect master of fresco technique (painting onto damp plaster), Matteo Giovannetti, elaborated a dazzling, distinctive language, where an innovative sense, the virtuosity of tromp l'oeil architecture, and a feel for solemnity led him to compose remakable ensembles devoted to Saint John, Saint-Martial, and to the prophets. He did not work alone, but was surrounded by his atelier.

Elsewhere in the palace, French painters had already adorned the walls. This was the case in the Pope's chambers, where Benedict XII had the decoration imitate a pergola against a sky-blue background. Italian artists painted in graceful trefoil arched windows, complete with stylized hanging bird cages. Clement VI ordered a novel naturalist décor for his newappartments ; ist painters names remain unknown.

A forest and the multiple mode of hunting and fishing that are described in treatises are represented with great realism. Despite irreparable loses over the centuries, this panorama is a unique example of fourteenth-century painted decoration. This taste for color is also found in the " green and brown " tiles that are still visible in the stadium (office) of Benedict XII, and reproduced in the rooms.

It was also evident in the green tapestries punctuated with red roses, the many other tapestries, the silk wall-covering imported from Italy, and on golden bed sheets. Every meeting or ceremony was preceded by the passage of forerunners decorating walls and cathedras, coloring the background of the site where the Pope would positioned himself.

The palace visit begins at the principal entrance since the time of Clement VI (currently the ticket area), leading into the hall of the Petit Audience, where cases were argued (currently the audioguide distribution area). The Cour d'Honneur is next accessed ; opened onto by three doors (des Champaux, de la Peyrollerie, and Notre-Dame) . The eastern and northern wing manifest the simplicity of Benedict XII's era, while the windows, sculptures and prominent moldings of the west and south attest to Clement VI's taste, and are the work of Jean de Louvres. To the east of the court, a small door grants access to the Grande Trésorerie of the Palais Vieux, where financial administration took place.

Today it hosts a part of the Musée du Vieil Avignon (the other part being in the Salle de Jésus). The Trésor Bas is just to the left ; its suberranean coffers held coins, gold and silver objects, and other precious objects.
The interior staircase of the Grande Trésorerie leads to the Salle de Jésus, a kind of antechamber where cardinals awaited the Pope before entering into the Consistory.

Then, further to the south, the Camérier's Chambre (Benedict XII's closest collaborator) reveals complex palimpsested mural paintings. The pontifical vestiary served for the Pope's donning of consistory ornaments before entering the Consistory which is located on the ground level of the eastern wing, and where official activities of the curia took place. This meeting place and reception hall of ambassadors and legates now contains the Simone Martini frescoes that were ont the porch of the Cathédrale Notre-Dame-des-Doms. To the east, it leads onto the Chapelle Saint-Jean, painted by Matteo Giovannetti.

On the next arrives at the courtyard of the cloister which constitutes the core of he Palais Vieux. To the north Benedict XII'chapel rises, to the west is the entourage's wing, and to the south the " Conclave " wing (with guest chambers) ; these are not open the public. The cloister's staircase leads to the Tinel, a reception hall, where pontifical feasts took place. Kitchens occupy the nothern edge. Conclaves also took place in these locations.

To the east, a door leads to the Chapelle Saint-Marthial, where Matteo Giovannetti recounts in images the life of this evengelical saint from Limousin. To the south, the Chambre de Parement designates a threshold between public and private spaces. This antechamber served for privates audiences, with huissiers continually guarding the pontiff's chamber. A glass door reveals Benedict XII's studium, the only space with its original fourteenth century floor.

Beyond this are the pontifical apartments. Benedict chamber is situated above the gardens, then Clement VI's, whose remarkable painted ceiling dates to 1343. Next, cross the Passage de la Peyrollerie (which has lost its original layout and its many flights of stairscases) to reach the north sacristy of the Chapelle Clémentine. A collection of casts relating to the pontifical epoch and the personnalities who had important connections with Avignon are presented there.

Crossing the Porte du Pape one enters the unique and immense nave of the Chapelle Clémentine, serving as the Cardinals'revesterie at the south end. At the other side of the chapel, a door created in the seventeenth century allows direct access to the wing of the Grand Dignitaires, starting with the Chambre du Camérier and the Chamber of the Notaries.

A modern staircase leads to a terrace that offers an extraordinary view of the city an its environs. On the way down, note the doorway of the Grande Chapelle, and the loggia with its baie de l'indulgence from which the Pope addressed crowds of the faithful gathered in the Cour d'Honneur. A large, spacious and resplendent staircase descends onto this court .

Its landing provides access to the solemn Grande Audience hall, where the tribunal of apostolic cases presided. The fresco of the Prophets in a vaulted compartment towards its east side is of particular interest. The judges sat beneath it. The visit ends with the Artillery Chamber and the Theological School. But all of this amounts to only forty percent of the palace's surface area.

After serving as the papal residence the palace was employed in a variety of ways. Transferred into the palace of the vice-legation in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, it was converted into a barracks in the nineteenth centuries.
Today it also harbors the Museum du Vieil Avignon et du Comtat Venaissin, the Vaucluse department archives, as well as the Centre International de Congrès.