Friday, October 4th - Day 24 - Morning - Avignon - Popes Palace and Bridge

Today was a big day.  On our Provence bucket list was a visit to the ancient city of Avignon.  Later we had tickets to an evening candlelight performance of a string quartet in the Roman Theater in Orange.

A short drive of 1/2 hour brought us to the old center of Avignon on the Rhone River.  Fortunately, our Airbnb host had told us where to park - for free - near the Pope's Palace and the "Bridge of Avignon."  The city had an incredibly high volume of tourists, even at the beginning of the off-season.  We were surprised to see the many old narrow streets lined with both souvenir and very upscale shops.  The streets were paved with polished large pinkish marble squares.  Like a movie set!

Why were the Popes in Avignon?

The Papacy resided in Rome for centuries until the early 1300's when it moved to Avignon for 67 years. 

"In 1302, Pope Boniface VIII decreed that "it is necessary to salvation that every human creature be subject to the Roman pontiff." This was directed primarily to King Philip IV of France who responded by saying, "Your venerable conceitedness may know that we are nobody's vassal in temporal matters."  (Deb:  Got to love the King's response.)

As a result of this disagreement, and a complicated process, a French pope was elected who refused to live in Rome.  He moved the papacy to Avignon. France where it was housed from 1309 to 1376.  Seven successive popes resided in Avignon where a massive palace was constructed and added to over that period.  Eventually, the papacy moved back to Rome.

The Pope's Palace - A Unesco World Heritage Site

The Palais de Papes, or Pope's Palace, was a truly immense, complicated, exciting structure.  We purchased tickets and set off along a marked trail through the complex.

Model of the Palace

We were each given these amazing tablets. The technology was truly astounding.  As you point the camera on the tablet all around each empty room, it recreates a scene from the 1300's. Then, points in the scene could be clicked for more information and images.

The Palace has an annual exhibit and this year it was the artwork of Miss.Tic, a poet and pioneer of street art.  We thought it was a very weird choice.  The often risque images were everywhere.  LOL.

Here is Miss.Tic in the bedroom of the Pope's personal assistant. Thank goodness for the tablets!

                            

                                  

The grand banquet hall can be rented for events.

A door off the end of the room leads into a tower room - the kitchen - with a fireplace in the middle and an opening at the top for smoke.  The whole tower  - all floors - is for food storage and prep. P.S.  There is also a lavatory tower. Unfortunately, the room was full of Miss.Tic art so I grabbed this photo from the web.

We were able to walk up one of the 12 towers, the Saint Laurent Tower. The views over the city and  Rhone were awesome.  We could just make out the Bridge.

Pont d'Avignon, Avignon Bridge or Pont Saint Benezet - Unesco World Heritage Site

This bridge was made famous by the children's folk song "Sur le Pont d'Avignon."  The song is well-known in Canada, having been imported to Quebec by French immigrants.  Both of us learned this song in elementary school French classes and Deb continues to sing it to the grandchildren.  See lyrics below.

The bridge is strategically connected to the Palace and is open for walking across or dancing on!  Built between 1177 and 1185, it consisted of 22 arches and connected both sides of the Rhone.   At the time Avignon was a busy commercial center with many boats going up and down the river.  Now there are only 4 arches left and the bridge no longer continues to the other side. Here is a drawing of the original bridge displayed on the tablets we used during our tour of the Palace.