The Cour d'Honneur
Heart of the palace.
Chatsam — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Holger Uwe Schmitt — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Chatsam — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Holger Uwe Schmitt — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jorge Franganillo — CC BY 4.0
The Palais des Papes is the great Gothic palace of the popes in the centre of Avignon, in the Vaucluse department of Provence in southern France. It stands on the Rocher des Doms above the Rhône, about 300 m in a straight line from the town centre. In the 14th century Avignon was the seat of the popes, and six papal conclaves were held here between 1334 and 1394. The palace is two joined buildings: the Old Palace of Benedict XII, set on the rock, and the New Palace of Clement VI. Together they form the largest Gothic building of the Middle Ages. Its library held more than 2,000 volumes, the largest in Europe at the time. From outside the palace looks like a fortress, with sheer pale walls, tall towers and pointed arches facing the great square. Inside, visitors cross the Cour d'Honneur, vast empty halls and private rooms, some with wall paintings by artists of the Siena school, and the roof terraces look out over the town and the river. The palace was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995 together with the old centre of Avignon. A visit takes one to two hours, and the Pont Saint-Bénézet and the Rocher des Doms garden are a few minutes' walk away.
Heart of the palace.
Views over the town and the Rhône.
Fortress-like walls.
Place du Palais, Avignon, Vaucluse, France
One to two hours.
The Pont Saint-Bénézet and the Rocher des Doms garden.
