Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Church of St. Pierre:
The original chestnut doors were carved in 1551, when tales of
NewWorlddiscoveriesracedacrossEurope.(NoticetheIndianheaddress,topcenterofleft-
side door.) The fine Annunciation (eye level on right-side door) shows Gabriel giving Mary
the exciting news in impressive Renaissance 3-D. Now take 10 steps back from the door
and look way up. The tiny statue breaking the skyline of the church is the pagan god Bac-
chus,with oodles ofgrapes. What'shedoingsitting atop aChristian church? Nooneknows.
Thechurch'sinteriorholdsabeautifulBaroquealtar.(Forrecommendedrestaurantsnearthe
Church of St. Pierre, see “Eating in Avignon,” later.)
• With your back to the church, follow the alley to the right, which was covered and turned
into a tunnel during the town's population boom. It leads into...
Place des Châtaignes:
The cloister of St. Pierre is named for the chestnut
(châtaigne)
trees that once stood here (now replaced by plane trees). The practical atheists of the French
Revolution destroyed the cloister, leaving only faint traces of the arches along the church
side of the square.
• Continue around the church and cross the busy street to the Banque Chaix. Across little
Rue des Fourbisseurs find the classy...
15th-Century Building:
With its original beamed eaves showing, this is a rare vestige
from the Middle Ages. Notice how this building widens the higher it gets. A medieval loop-
hole based taxes on ground-floor square footage—everything above was tax-free. Walking
down Rue des Fourbisseurs (“Street of the Animal Furriers”), notice how the top floors al-
most meet. Fire was a constant danger in the Middle Ages, as flames leapt easily from one
home to the next. In fact, the lookout guard's primary responsibility was watching for fires,
notthe enemy.Virtually all ofAvignon'smedieval homes have been replaced bysafer struc-
tures.
• Walk down Rue des Fourbisseurs and turn left onto the traffic-free Rue du Vieux Sextier
(“Street of the Old Balance,” for weighing items); another left under the first arch leads 10
yards to Avignon's...
Synagogue:
Jews first arrived in Avignon with the Diaspora (exile) of the first century.
Avignon'sJewswerenicknamed“thePope'sJews”becauseoftheprotectionthattheVatican
offered to Jews expelled from France. Although the original synagogue dates from the
1220s, in the mid-19th century it was completely rebuilt in a Neoclassical Greek-temple
style by a non-Jewish architect. This is the only synagogue under a rotunda that you'll see
anywhere. It's an intimate, classy place dressed with white colonnades and walnut furnish-
ings. To enter the synagogue, you'll have to email in advance of your visit (free, closed Sat-
Sun, 2 Place Jerusalem, tel. 04 90 55 21 24,
rabinacia@hotmail.fr
)
.
• Retrace your steps to Rue du Vieux Sextier and turn left, then continue to the big square
and find the big, boxy...
