Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Romanesque to Renaissance
A religious revival in the 11th century ushered in Romanesque architecture, so-called be-
cause of the Gallo-Roman architectural elements it adopted. Round arches, heavy walls
with few windows, and a lack of ornamentation were characteristics of this style,
Provence's most famous examples being the 12th-century abbeys in Sénanque and Le
Thoronet.
Gothic architecture swapped roundness and simplicity for
ribbed vaults, pointed arches, slender verticals, chapels along
the nave and chancel, refined decoration and large stained-
glass windows. Provence's most important examples of this
period are Avignon's Palais des Papes and the Chartreuse du
Val de Bénédiction in Villeneuve-lès-Avignon.
The French Renaissance scarcely touched the region - un-
like mighty citadel architect Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban
(1633-1707), who notably re-shaped Antibes' star-shaped Fort
Carré and Île Ste Marguerite's Fort Royal.
Roman
Splendour
»Pont du Gard
»Théâtre Antique, Orange
»Les Arènes, Nîmes
»Trophée des Alpes, La Turbie
»Les Arènes, Arles
Classical to Modern
Classical architecture fused with painting and sculpture from the end of the 16th to late
18th centuries to create stunning Baroque structures with interiors of great subtlety, refine-
ment and elegance: Chapelle de la Miséricorde in Nice and Marseille's Centre de la Vie-
ille Charité are classics.
Neoclassicism came into its own under Na-
poléon III, the Palais de Justice and Palais
Masséna in Nice demonstrating the renewed
interest in classical forms that it exhibited. The
true showcase of this era, though, is 1878
Casino de Monte Carlo, designed by French ar-
chitect Charles Garnier (1825-98). Elegant
Aix-en-Provence's fountains and
hôtels par-
ticuliers
(private mansions) date from this peri-
od, too, as do the intricate wrought-iron campaniles.
The belle époque heralded an eclecticism of decorative stucco friezes, trompe l'œil
paintings, glittering wall mosaics, brightly coloured Moorish minarets and Turkish towers.
Urban 20th-century architecture is the focus of Pat-
rimoine XXe, a label protecting 34 urban land-
marks in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region.
Find the full list of landmarks on
