Palais des Papes

Avignon, France

The Palais des Papes is one of the largest and most important medieval Gothic buildings in Europe. Once a fortress and palace, the papal residence was the seat of Western Christianity during the 14th century. Six papal conclaves were held in the Palais, leading to the elections of Benedict XII in 1334, Clement VI in 1342, Innocent VI in 1352, Urban V in 1362, Gregory XI in 1370 and Antipope Benedict XIII in 1394.

The palace construction began in AD 1252. Avignon became the residence of the Popes in 1309, when the Gascon Bertrand de Goth, as Pope Clement V, unwilling to face the violent chaos of Rome after his election (1305), moved the Papal Curia to Avignon, a period known as the Avignon Papacy.

The Palais is actually two joined buildings: the old palace of Benedict XII, which sits on the impregnable rock of Doms, and the new palace of Clement VI, the most extravagant of the Avignon popes. Together they form the largest Gothic building of the Middle Ages, it is also one of the best examples of the International Gothic architectural style. The construction design was the work of two of France’s best architects, Pierre Peysson and Jean du Louvres and the lavish ornamentation was the work of two of the best students of the School of Siena, Simone Martini and Matteo Giovanetti.

In addition, the papal library housed in the palace (the largest in Europe at the time with over 2,000 volumes), attracted a group of clerics passionate in the study, amongst the future founders of Humanism, Petrarch. At the same time, composers, singers and musicians were drawn to the Great Chapel. It was there that Clement VI appreciated the Mass of Notre-Dame de Guillaume de Machault, there that Philippe de Vitry at the pope’s invitation presented his Ars Nova and there that Johannes Ciconia came to study.

Due to its immense size, the Palais was also the place where the general organisation of the Church began to change. It facilitated the centralisation of services and the adaption of operations in order to suit the needs of the papacy, creating a truly central administration for the Church. The manpower of the Curia (Church administration), while 200 at the end of the 13th century, surpassed 300 at the beginning of the 14th century and reached 500 people in 1316. To this were added over 1,000 lay officials working within the palace.

Despite this, the Palais became obsolete when the papacy found it necessary to return to Rome. The hope of reuniting Latin and Orthodox Christians, along with the achievement of peace in the Papal States in Italy, made the case of returning stronger. Added to that was the strong conviction of both Urban V and Gregory XI that the seat of the papacy could only be the tomb of St Peter. Despite strong opposition from the Court of France and the College of Cardinals, both popes found the means to return to Rome, the first, on 30 April 1362, the second on 13 September 1370. This time, the return was absolute.

In the following centuries, the palace lost all of its former glory, despite it serving as the seat of two anti-popes and many cardinals. It retained, however, a “work of destruction” aspect that French poets and writers have referred to over the centuries, with its powerful sense of beauty, simplicity, grandeur and immortality.

Since 1995, the Palais des Papes has been classified, along with the historic center of Avignon, as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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Details

Founded: 1252
Category: Palaces, manors and town halls in France
Historical period: Late Capetians (France)

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Dominique (2 years ago)
Very large palace with an interactive tablet and games. The kids enjoyed it but I personally found it long sometimes. With a baby, bring a backpack, there are stairs everywhere. There is a nice garden in the back but not included in the visit, need to pay extra. Worth seeing when in Avignon but I wouldn't do it twice.
Tactical Apps (2 years ago)
Nice place to visit spent 4 hours or so and did the bridge and gardens with it. Gardens were totally not worth it. So tiny and filled with event equipment... bridge was nice but bit overpriced. Parking under popes garage was 2 euro an hour or park about 20 mins away was free for 4 hours but we didn't want to park so far and had to cut our journey short. Also really nice view if you go up the stairs close to entry on the left if you are looking to the entry... ramp up to go see a nice man made waterfalls fountains and park. Nice views of the town and bridge too... also had a nice Cafe in there with swan, ducks to go drink or have a desert. We didn't get to since we didn't know there was a place like that but looked very pleasant and enjoyable place to have a drink and relax
Taco Tjalkens (2 years ago)
The outside is great, but inside is not much left. They have a virtual tour on a private touchscreen, but we prefer to see things in real life. So we don't recommend this place: To many people, not much to see and to expensive in my opinion.
Arija Noel (2 years ago)
Great self guided tour through the palace using a tablet they provide so that you can see and hear the history and how each of the rooms were used. You can get tickets in advance at the tourist office in Avignon to get in at a set time. Much easier than standing in 2 lines. Go early to beat the crowds.
Tony Warfield (2 years ago)
Avignon is a beautiful ancient city that hosted the Popes for nearly 70 years. The papal palace has been maintained and restored - it is like stepping back in time. The town and papal square are alive with restaurants, shops, music and many fun activities.
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