Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
PALAIS DES PAPES
In 1309, Pope Clement V transferred the papacy to France to escape political
turmoil in Rome, and, for 68 years, Avignon became the religious, political
and cultural centre of Christendom. The magnificent Papal Palace was built
in justill over 20 years, begun in 1335. Pope Benedict XII was responsible
for the sober, Cistercian architecture of the Old Palace; his successor, Cle-
ment VI, added the New Palace in Gothic style, creating a massive ensemble
of towers and stone walls soaring 50 m (165 ft) above the town centre. It re-
mains a monument to the immense power of the papacy in the Middle Ages.
Place du Palais, Avignon • 04 90 27 50 00 •
www.palais-des-papes.com
• Open daily. 1-14 Mar: 9am-6:30pm; 15 Mar-30 Jun & 16 Sep-31 Oct:
9am-7pm; Jul & 1- 15 Sep: 9am-8pm; Aug: 9am-9pm; Nov-Feb:
9:30am-5:45pm (guided tours in English Jul & Aug; phone for times) •
Adm €10.50 (€8.50 Nov-mid-Mar); under-8s free
Google Map
1. COURTYARD OF HONOUR
The “meeting” of the two palaces is the best place to compare the respective styles.
While the Old Palace resembles a defensive keep, the New Palace has finer stone-
work. Today the courtyard is the venue for theatrical events during the
Avignon
View photo
2. TREASURY HALLS
The papal wealth was stashed beneath the flagstoned floor of the Lower Treasury
Hall. The Upper Treasury Hall was effectively the accounts department.
3. CONSISTORY HALL
It was in the vast Salle du Consistoire that the pope, cardinals and dignitaries
gathered to consider key issues of the day. On the western wall now hang elegant
14th-century frescoes by Simone Martini.
View photo
