One of the interesting attractions in Avignon is the Palais des Papes (Palace of the Popes), a vast castle of significant historic, religious and architectural importance. Avignon became the home of the popes in 1309, who were fleeing the violent chaos of Rome. The Palace is one of the largest and most important medieval Gothic buildings in Europe with 15,000 square meters of living space, which is the equivalent of four Gothic cathedrals.
The Palace was built in less than twenty years, starting in 1335, and was primarily built by two popes, Pope Benedict XII and his successor Pope Clement VI. The Pope Benedict had the old episcopal palace razed and replaced with a much larger building centred on a cloister, heavily fortified against attackers. Its four wings are flanked with high towers. The construction design was the work of two of France’s best architects, Pierre Peysson and Jean du Louvres and the lavish ornamentation was the work of two of the best students of the School of Siena (Italy), Simone Martini and Matteo Giovanetti.
The Palace is situated on a natural rocky outcrop at the northern edge of Avignon, overlooking the river Rhone. Each year, the Palace of the Popes welcomes over 560,000 visitors. It is among the 10 most-visited monuments in France. The visitor can see more than 20 rooms in the palace, including the Papal apartments with their pricess frescoes painted by the Italian artist Matteo Giovannetti.
All year long, at the Palace, there are more cultural events like art exhibitions, educational opportunities, theme visits, concerts and other. During the month of July, there are theatre performances as part of the Festival d’Avignon, founded by Jean Vilar in 1947, which take place in the Honour Courtyard at the Palace. This unique architectural ensemble has been ranked as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
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