Papal Therapy, French Style

Our first stop in France after our leaving Spain, Avignon proved on easy transition from the relaxed nature of Girona as it shared much the same attitude. Originally a sleepy port city Avignon grew to prominence during the 14th century with the construction of the Palace of the Pope, and its new role as the heart of the papacy.

Nate outside Palais du Papes

Arriving into Villeneuve-les-Avignon, dubbed Avignon’s little sister due to its location across the river from Avignon, we immediately began to see how the arrival of the Pope affected the area. Nearly every attraction seemed related to the city’s new role as a religious center or just happened to be built earlier. Given its prominence we made our first stop to the Palace of the Pope. The size of at least two or three ‘ordinary’ mansions the palace seems to dwarf you. Your first stop as you enter is the courtyard of honor, which surrounds you with six large stories on all sides. As you continue the tour you are deposited in increasingly larger banquet halls and then extravagant papal chambers. While much of the original furniture no longer resides in the palace, the architecture itself is truly impressive. With one hundred foot tall dining rooms and massive churches with three naves on floor after floor you can begin to imagine the scale of the Pope’s lifestyle. A couple particularly interesting features we came across included a kitchen large enough to prepare a seventy course meal for hundreds of guests and hidden compartments throughout the palace to hide bags of money or other treasure. All in all a fascinating place.

Collapesed Nave at La Chartreuse

Even across the river in Villeneuve the religious theme continues with a sprawling monastery, La Chartreuse. Founded in the 14th century by the fifth Avignon Pope, Innocent VI, the Carthusian Monastery is one of the largest in Europe. No longer in active use as a monastery the site has been restored as a museum and also houses a dramatic artist group. In fact, the temporary exhibit during our visit followed a supposed journalist who was recreating absurd miracles such as the miracle of levitation and the miracle of dolphin riding. It proved quite an interesting juxtaposition with the gothic structure it is housed in. One of the more interesting features of the monastery is the collapsed Nave of the site’s main church, which lets those praying view Fort Saint Andre on the hill overlooking the monastery.

Towers at Fort Saint Andre

One of our favorite attractions in the area, Fort Saint Andre provides the best view of Avignon. Built by French kings in the 14th century it surprisingly was constructed to protect the French from the remnants of the Roman empire. Later the fort protected the Belvezet Chapel built on its grounds. The fort’s well maintained tower and ramparts, not to mention murder holes, made it a great visit.

For those with an interest in the Romans, one must see site about a half hour outside of Avignon is the Pont du Gard, a combined Roman aqueduct and road that has survived in excellent condition. Occupying over 165 hectares of land it is an amazing engineering feat and a beautiful outdoor attraction. During our visit we spotted a number of kayakers on the river below and loved the hiking trails around the area.

Pont du Garde

While the Pope may have solidified Avignon’s place on the map, the area has much to offer anyone with an interest in history be it Catholic, Medieval or Roman.