Avignon: The Palace of the Popes and the Broken Bridge
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
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Papal Courtier
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275
XP
+100 France
= 375 total
2 days
Avignon: The Palace of the Popes and the Broken Bridge
275 + 100 XP
Seven popes ruled from Avignon between 1309 and 1377, with two more of the Great Schism after them, and their palace — 6,400 m² by the time the builders left in 1351 — is the largest Gothic building of the Middle Ages; with the bishops' quarter and the bridge it has been UNESCO-listed since 1995. The Pont Saint-Bénézet of the song carried 22 arches over 920 m of Rhône when it was finished in 1185, was rebuilt several times, and now stops after four arches and 160 metres. Every July the Festival d'Avignon, founded by Jean Vilar in 1947, turns the city into a theatre.
Required Activities
1
of 4
Walk the Palais des Papes and work out where Benedict XII's old palace — a fortress set straight on the rock of the Doms — is stitched to Clement VI's new one, then find Matteo Giovanetti's frescoes in the Grand Tinel, the Consistory hall and the chapel of Saint-Jean
2
of 4
Walk out to the end of the bridge's four remaining arches and find the two chapels stacked on one of the piers, Saint-Bénézet below and Saint-Nicolas above it, then look downstream to where the other eighteen arches stood
3
of 4
Cross the Rhône to Villeneuve-lès-Avignon and climb the twin towers of the Fort Saint-André's gatehouse, past the winch room that worked its two portcullises, for the view over Avignon, the Rhône valley, Mont Ventoux and the Alpilles
4
of 4
Walk down from the fort into the Chartreuse Notre-Dame-du-Val-de-Bénédiction at Villeneuve-lès-Avignon and find the tomb of Innocent VI, the pope who cut the Avignon court's spending after Clement VI had spent it, in the church of the charterhouse he founded
Walk the Palais des Papes and work out where Benedict XII's old palace — a fortress set straight on the rock of the Doms — is stitched to Clement VI's new one, then find Matteo Giovanetti's frescoes in the Grand Tinel, the Consistory hall and the chapel of Saint-Jean
Walk out to the end of the bridge's four remaining arches and find the two chapels stacked on one of the piers, Saint-Bénézet below and Saint-Nicolas above it, then look downstream to where the other eighteen arches stood
Cross the Rhône to Villeneuve-lès-Avignon and climb the twin towers of the Fort Saint-André's gatehouse, past the winch room that worked its two portcullises, for the view over Avignon, the Rhône valley, Mont Ventoux and the Alpilles
Walk down from the fort into the Chartreuse Notre-Dame-du-Val-de-Bénédiction at Villeneuve-lès-Avignon and find the tomb of Innocent VI, the pope who cut the Avignon court's spending after Clement VI had spent it, in the church of the charterhouse he founded
Before you go
The Festival d'Avignon fills the city every July.
The palace and the bridge are open every day of the year, but from 5 January to 6 February and from 2 November to 18 December they close at 5pm, with the last admission to the palace an hour before that — so a winter visit means being at the gate by 4pm. The palace is 6,400 m² and takes a couple of hours on its own. The Fort Saint-André and the Chartreuse across the Rhône at Villeneuve-lès-Avignon are separate monuments with their own closed day, so check them before planning the second half. In July the Festival fills the city and accommodation and parking both go.
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Challenge Location
XP Breakdown
Challenge XP
275 XP
France country bonus
+100 XP
Potential total
375 XP
Country bonus earned on completion of your first challenge in France.
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