Sur la Pont Avignon

The town of Avignon is mainly known for its bridge and the nursery rhyme/song we have all known since childhood.  But that is not the most interesting thing about the town.  Of far more historical significance is the Palais des Papes or Pope's Palace, one of the largest medieval gothic buildings in Europe and the centre of Christianity in the 14th century. 

Palais des Papes

Six popes ruled from the Pope's Palace, and each added something to the construction, making it often a disjointed and unwieldy design.  From 1309 to 1364, this building was being constructed, torn down and reconstructed, although the bulk of the edifice was actually done in a short 20 year time span.  Finally, in 1364, it was decided to move the papacy back to Rome although this move was fraught with politics and controversy and really wasn't finalized until 6 years later.

A model of the final design (?) - over 15000 meters squared

What a lot of people don't realize was that at one time there were actually 2 Popes - the Pope and the Antipope.  Although the papacy had been moved to Rome, the Pope in Avignon refused to resign and both ruled for some time.  Finally, the cardinals were fed up and fired both, appointing a 3rd Pope.  An amazing part of history of the Catholic church.

The square outside the Pope's Palace is bustling with tourists, and a lovely place to stop and listen to the many street musicians who take up residence there. 

The door into the Pope's Palace remains from ancient times.  The main doors were for the knights (or perhaps Swiss guard) and their horses, and the carriages of the Bishops, while the smaller door was used for the common folk entering and leaving the doors of the palace.

Over 10 km of ancient stone walls surround the city

Another interesting sight in Avignon is the more than 10 kms of thick stone walls built during the 13th century and surrounding the city.  Many of these walls were constructed on the rock itself, and narrow arches allow modern day traffic through.

Sometimes its difficult to see where man took over from nature in fortifying the Palace

One of the narrow entrances to the city

If there was any doubt as to the religious nature of the Palace, it is put aside by the many statues adorning the edifice.  An enormous gold Christ wearing his crown of thorns sits on one of the steeples, while a depiction of the crucified Christ surrounded by angles adorns a portico.

During the French Revolution the Palace came under seige.  Not only did the revolutionaries chop off the heads of the ruling class, but the 21 saints adorning these doorways into the chapel also had their heads removed.

This guy was spared.  This angel looked so real, right down to the feathers sticking out of his gilded wings, I almost stopped to say 'Bonjour'.

The side of this building has no windows.  Here's Ken trying to figure out what's real and what's not.  Hint -  the entire thing is one giant art piece.

And finally, here is a view of the city from the bridge.  Actually named the Pont St. Benezet, the Avignon bridge is now only four Roman arches spanning part of the River Rhone.  Constantly rebuilt during the 11th and 12th centuries, it kept falling apart as the River has an extremely fast current.  Now when you walk out onto it, it's crumbling rock and cement surrounded by construction cages.   The most interesting part was the ancient drawbridge which could be raised to block traffic into the town.  I could almost hear the hoof beats and the clatter of wagons seeking access to the town and the hospital just beyond it's gates.

Sur la pont, Avignon