To get away from political unrest in Rome at the turn of the 14th century, Pope Clement V temporarily moved the papacy from Rome to Avignon, a papal territory on the Rhone River. The papal court requiring housing, built a palace.
Between 1309 and 1378, seven popes ruled at Avignon, bringing tremendous wealth and prestige to the town, making it the religious, cultural and political centre of the Christian World.
The Pope’s palace reflects the luxury and cultural influence of the papal court. It was constructed in two stages by two popes: Benedict XII (1334-1342), who built the Old Palace and Clement VI (1342-1352), who built the New Palace. The Courtyard of Honour is the best place to compare the styles of old and new, for it is here that the two palaces meet.
The Old Palace at Avignon
Benedict XII ordered the construction of the Old Palace in 1335. The structure is simple and utilitarian, and in line with Cistercian architecture.
The highlights of the Old Palace include: Saint John’s Chapel, the Grand Tinel, and Saint Martial’s Chapel.
Saint John’s Chapel
This stunning chapel with its mullioned windows, arched vault and intersecting ribs is covered in frescoes by Sienese artist Matteo Giovanetti. The beautifully painted scenes, which depict the lives of John the Baptist and John the Evangelist, are now faded, but by no means does this make it less of a treasure.
The Grand Tinel
It was in this dining room that banquets were held on feast days, such as when a Pope was crowned or a cardinal appointed. This enormous hall, close in size to a football field, is well lit by six windows that open out to a garden. Unfortunately, the décor was destroyed by a fire in the 15th century, along with the frescoes that once adorned the walls.
Saint Martial’s Chapel
Another masterpiece by painter Matteo Giovanetti, this chapel is devoted to Saint Martial, who was from the same French village of Limousin as Clement VI. The walls and vaulted ceiling are beautifully decorated with scenes from the saint’s life, using the expensive lapis-lazuli blue, as well as grey and brown decorated with gold.
The New Palace at Avignon
With the construction of Clement VI’s New Palace underway in 1342, Gothic elegance entered the palace, and the finer stonework reflected the new spirit in decoration and architecture. By the time Clement VI died in 1352, the cost of the New Palace had emptied the financial reserves of the Holy See.
The highlights of the New Palace include: The Pope’s Chamber, the Stag Room, the Great Chapel, and the Great Audience Hall.
The Pope’s Chamber
The Pope’s Chamber is covered in murals of coiled foliage, birds, and other animals on a lovely blue backdrop. It was here that the Pope usually slept with his attendants and sometimes held private audiences.
The Stag Room
The Stag Room was the study of Pope Clement VI and it is nothing short of lavish in its decor. The ceiling is richly decorated and beneath a narrow strip of sky, an entire forest is painted on all four walls, which depict scenes of hunting and fishing.
The Great Chapel
It took almost four years to complete the Great Chapel, dedicated to the apostles Peter and Paul. This massive chapel, 52 metres long, 15 metres wide and 20 metres tall, is covered by seven vaulted bays. This now empty chapel was once the scene of important religious celebrations as well as papal coronations.
The Great Audience Hall
The Great Audience Hall housed the Court of Apostolic Causes, a judicial body under which no appeal was possible. This massive hall has the same dimensions as the Great Chapel, but it is not as high. Unfortunately, most of the fresco on the vaulted ceiling was destroyed in the 19th century, but there remains a beautiful section of Giovannetti’s Prophets, where the figures are arranged on a starry azure background.
While the medieval popes stayed in Avignon for a short time, not even a century, they left behind a luxurious palace, one of the most important and complete examples of medieval Gothic architecture.
The Pope’s Palace is open every day from March to November.
Source:
- Edition RMG—Palais des Papes, Avignon
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