Avignon Cathedral

Avignon, France

Avignon Cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop. The cathedral is a Romanesque building, built primarily in the second half of the 12th century. The bell tower collapsed in 1405 and was rebuilt in 1425. In 1670-1672 the apse was rebuilt and extended.

The building was abandoned and allowed to deteriorate during the Revolution, but it was reconsecrated in 1822 and restored by the archbishop Célestin Dupont in 1835-1842. The most prominent feature of the cathedral is a gilded statue of the Virgin Mary atop the bell tower which was erected in 1859.

The interior contains many works of art. The most famous of these is the mausoleum of Pope John XXII (died 1334), a 14th-century Gothic carving. It was moved in 1759, damaged during the Revolution, and restored to its original position in 1840. The cathedral was listed as a Monument historique in 1840.

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Founded: 1670-1672
Category: Religious sites in France

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4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

R K (MRTMouseSavage) (15 months ago)
Beautiful 13 Century Palace & Cathedral. We did not enter it. Instead we decided to have a tour by "train" around the city, which takes 45 min and lets one to see the gardens. Our advantage was a drone, I hope you will enjoy some experience usually not available when you take pictures from the ground level. See MRTMouseSavage on YT for more interesting footages, including drone and 360 vids.
Jorge Bernardo (18 months ago)
This cathedral doesn't simply lie in the shadow of its neighouring main attraction. Dating from the XII century and keeping the remains of several popes it is a main feature in its own right.
Guenther S (guncatsch) (2 years ago)
Magnificent 13Century Palace & Cathedral. Be prepared to climb 200 stairs ? if you visit the full place
Ms_Eternal _Traveller. (2 years ago)
19 April Circa late 1300 early 1400s Stunning ! Note it opened at 2.30 pm. Well worth a visit to see the Cathedral of the Popes and the amazing art.
Doug Neilson (3 years ago)
Next to Popes' Palace. Lovely cathedral with all expected facilities. Several Popes are buried here, from 14th Cent when the papacy was resident in Avignon.
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Visby Cathedral (also known as St. Mary’s Church) is the only survived medieval church in Visby. It was originally built for German merchants and inaugurated in 1225. Around the year 1350 the church was enlarged and converted into a basilica. The two-storey magazine was also added then above the nave as a warehouse for merchants.

Following the Reformation, the church was transformed into a parish church for the town of Visby. All other churches were abandoned. Shortly after the Reformation, in 1572, Gotland was made into its own Diocese, and the church designated its cathedral.

There is not much left of the original interior. The font is made of local red marble in the 13th century. The pulpit was made in Lübeck in 1684. There are 400 graves under the church floor.