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Avignon has a long and enviable history. It was inhabited, though obviously not as a city, in the Bronze and Iron Ages, and has a Celtic history too.
It grew prosperous due to its position at the confluence of the Rhône and Durance Rivers, but made the mistake of choosing the wrong side in the Albigensian Wars. The wrathful French king, who was victorious, dismantled its defensive walls. At a later stage of the Wars the city was taken by the Holy Roman Empire and it was as a safe haven of the Empire that it saw the transfer of the Pope from Rome in the early fourteenth century. This was the period in which the city's greatest architectural treasures were built. Despite the return of the Papacy to Rome, the city's future was assured, and it thrived, even after 1791 when it finally passed back to France.
Today Avignon is a large town of 90,000 inhabitants, the great majority of them living outside the intact medieval ramparts - the medieval town wall is complete, all 3 miles (5km) of it, together with its thirty-nine defensive towers. If outer Avignon is bustling and banal, the Old Town's narrow streets enclose the sense of history. The chief place of interest is the Palace of the Popes.
Destinations in Avignon
Old Avignon
From the huge square in front of the Palace of the Popes - the centre for excellent outdoor theatre and street-theatre productions around Bastille Day - old Avignon is easily reached. A stroll through almost any part of the old town is worthwile, revealing the architectural styles of 200 and 300 years ago in the façades of mansions (hôtels) of wealthy merchants and the nobility and some newer touches, with artists at work in the squares, especially in Place de l'Horloge. The Place is usually alive with folk, chatting in the plane tree-shaded cafes or admiring the trompe-l'oeil paintings on the surrounding walls which illustrate scenes from Avignon's history.
Two of the most picturesque streets are Rue Banasterie (Weavers' Row), and Rue des Teinturiers (Dyers' Row) where the River Sorgue flows gently past inert, ancient mill wheels. The latter street, in the south-east corner of the Old Town, is widely believed to be the finest that Avignon has to offer, and should not be missed.
Numerous churches and chapels of different periods are scattered about the Old Town. So many churches are there that the skyline is dominated by bell towers, which lead Rabelais to describe Avignon as la ville sonnante, the ringing city. One of the best of the old chapels is that of the Grey Penitents, now restored to its sixteenth-century glory.
If there is a temptation to sentimentalise Avignon's past while gazing at its ancient remains, the fulminations of one who served at the papal court - Petrarch - will restore the balance. He left to posterity his view that Avignon was a living hell, a sink of vice with neither faith, nor charity, nor religion; the city was odious, pestilential when there was no mistral, insufferable when it blew.
Palace of the Pope
Built mainly by Benedict XII and Clement VI during the years from 1334 to 1352, the Palace is actually more fortress-like, a design that mirrored the Pope's insecurities.
The Palace is huge, extending over about 6.2 hectares, and externally is a marvel of grey stone, all high, filled arches and soaring walls. Internally it is equally grand; the Grand Courtyard is spacious, and leading from it is a myriad of interesting rooms. The Robe Room is hung with fine tapestries, while the Papal Bedroom is painted with birds and vines. More impressive murals are found in the Stag Room, which also has a superb wooden ceiling. The Great Hall on the lower floor is breathtaking for its sheer size alone. It is unfurnished, but that seems merely to add to the beauty.
The Grand Courtyard is also the venue of an international drama festival during the last three weeks of July. Its great prestige draws enthusiasts from all over the world to see productions which some consider too avant-garde and elitist.
Villeneuve-lès-Avignon
Across the Rhône from Avignon is Villeneuve-lès-Avignon (lès here meaning 'near'), once connected to Avignon by the shepherd boy's bridge. Belonging to the Kingdom of France, it was built (as a ville nueve, a new city) and fortified by the French kings to keep frontier watch on Avignon which was then part of the Holy Roman Empire. Interestingly, the French king owned the river, endearing himself to the Avignon folk by charging them rent every time it flooded their houses!
When the Popes came from Rome to Avignon, the cardinals chose the rising ground of Villeneuve to build their summer palaces, but most of these were destroyed at the time of the Revolution. One that remains is the fourteenth century palace of Cardinal Pierre du Luxembourg, now a museum, in Rue de la République. The collections include a magnificent fourtheenth century ivory Virgin and some excellent medieval paintings.
Villeneuve is a quieter place to stay than Avignon. Be sure to stand at the top of the Tour de Philippe le Bel as the sun begins to set: it throws Avignon and the palaces into a warm relief and illuminates the distant hump of Mont Ventoux. Fort St André can also be visited. It is reached through a fortified gate that experts claim to be the finest example of its type in France. Inside is the Abbaye St André, standing in fine Italianate gardens.
Be sure, also, to visit the nearby Chartreuse (charterhouse) of Val-de-Bénédiction. The charterhouse was one of the richest in France, but the last monks were evicted during the Revolution. Today it is a cultural centre hosting many events.
Finally, go east from Avignon to the village of Le Thor which has a fine thirteenth-century church and, nearby, the Thouzon Cave, a fine show cave.
East again is L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, where the River Sorgue divides into five branches, each of which once drove a mill wheel. Today the mills are gone, but one waterwheel still turns in the village's public gardens, a moss-covered reminder of the past. |
