In the splendid setting of Provence is Avignon, “City of Popes”, a place of great beauty but also of great historical importance. Avignon is linked, in fact, with a great event of the past, the so-called “Avignon captivity”, i.e. the transfer, from 1375 to 1378, of the residence of the Pope and the Curia. The official reason was the bad air of Rome, although the story told that it was French king Philip the Fair that forced Clement V to move to Avignon, as did the seven successive popes. Of course, hosting the papal court, the city began to become the meeting point of the great artists of the time, who built beautiful buildings like the Palace of the Popes.
This is the largest Gothic building in the world, declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco, in spite of the difficulties faced after the French Revolution, it is still possible to admire the 25 main rooms, including representatives of the rooms, chapels, cloister and the magnificent frescoes of the private rooms of the pope.
The museum, the Petit Palais brings together a decent collection of Italian religious paintings from the thirteenth to the sixteenth century. The city’s other most famous point is the St-Benezet Bridge, also considered one of the most romantic of France. The bridge of Avignon on the Rhone was built in 1180 along 900 meters at the time was partly destroyed by a flood and now we can see only 4 of the 22 original arches.The historic center of Avignon is surrounded by medieval walls.
Scrolls by anti-pope Benedict XIII in 1403, are located inside the imposing Romanesque cathedral, Notre Dame des Doms, built in the twelfth century. Inside you will find the golden statue of the Virgin, a wonderful Italian organ of 1800 and the mausoleum of Pope John XXII, a jewel of Gothic art.
Even after the return of the popes in Rome, Avignon remained an important and vibrant cultural center, many events and events held throughout the city, including the most important is the Festival d’Avignon, taking the last three weeks of July, offers hundreds of theater for your trip, dance, attracting spectators from all over Europe.
By Elsi H
Photo 1 : Gerard Feron, Photo 2: Stephane Pironon, Photo 3: Sergey Shaposhnikov, Photo 5: jeancharles, Photo 6: Dmitry Samsonov
