Palais des Papes
| Historic Centre of Avignon: Papal Palace, Episcopal Ensemble and Avignon Bridge * | |
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| Country | France |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | i, ii, iv |
| Reference | 228 |
| Region ** | Europe |
| Inscription history | |
| Inscription | 1995 (19th Session) |
| * Name as inscribed on World Heritage List ** Region as classified by UNESCO |
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This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in the French Wikipedia. (December 2011) Don't speak French? Click here to read a machine-translated version of the French article. Click [show] on the right for instructions.
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The Palais des Papes (lo Palais dei Papas in Occitan) is a historical palace in Avignon, southern France, one of the largest and most important medieval Gothic buildings in Europe.
Since 1995, the palais des Papes has been classified along with the historic center of Avignon, as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, under cultural criteria i, ii and iv.[1]
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[edit] History
The Palais construction began in AD 1252. Avignon became the residence of the Popes in 1309, when the Gascon Bertrand de Goth, as Pope Clement V, unwilling to face the violent chaos of Rome after his election (1305), moved the Papal Curia to Avignon, a period known as the Avignon Papacy. Clement lived as a guest in the Dominican monastery at Avignon, and his successor Pope John XXII set up a magnificent establishment there, but the reconstruction of the old bishops' palace was begun in earnest by Pope Benedict XII (1334–42) and continued by his successors to 1364. The site, on a natural rocky outcrop at the northern edge of Avignon, overlooking the river Rhône, was that of the old episcopal palace of the bishops of Avignon. The Palais was built in two principal phases with two distinct segments, known as the Palais Vieux (Old Palace) and Palais Neuf (New Palace). By the time of its completion, it occupied an area of 11,000 m² (2.6 acres). The building was enormously expensive, consuming much of the papacy's income during its construction.
The Palais Vieux was constructed by the architect Pierre Poisson of Mirepoix at the instruction of Pope Benedict XII. The austere Benedict had the original episcopal palace razed and replaced with a much larger building centred on a cloister, heavily fortified against attackers. Its four wings are flanked with high towers.
Under Popes Clement VI, Innocent VI and Urban V, the building was expanded to form what is now known as the Palais Neuf. An architect, Jean de Louvres, was commissioned by Clement VI to build a new tower and adjoining buildings, including a 52 m long Grand Chapel to serve as the location for papal acts of worship. Two more towers were built under Innocent VI. Urban V completed the main courtyard (known as the Court d'Honneur) with further buildings enclosing it. The interior of the building was sumptuously decorated with frescos, tapestries, paintings, sculptures and wooden ceilings.
The popes departed Avignon in 1377, returning to Rome, but this prompted the Papal Schism during which time the antipopes Clement VII and Benedict XIII made Avignon their home until 1403. The latter was imprisoned in the Palais for five years after being besieged in 1398 when the army of Geoffrey Boucicaut occupied Avignon. The building remained in the hands of antipapal forces for some years – it was besieged from 1410 to 1411 – but was returned to the authority of papal legates in 1433.
Although the Palais remained under papal control (along with the surrounding city and Comtat Venaissin) for over 350 years afterwards, it gradually deteriorated despite a restoration in 1516. When the French Revolution broke out in 1789 it was already in a bad state when it was seized and sacked by revolutionary forces. In 1791 it became the scene of a massacre of counter-revolutionaries, whose bodies were thrown into the Tour des Latrines in the Palais Vieux.
The Palais was subsequently taken over by the Napoleonic French state for use as a military barracks and prison. Although it was further damaged by the military occupation, especially under the anti-clerical Third Republic, when the remaining interior woodwork was cleared away for use of the structure as a stables – the frescos were covered over and largely destroyed – ironically this ensured the shell of the building's physical survival. It was only vacated in 1906, when it became a national museum. It has been under virtually constant restoration ever since.
The majority of the Palais is now open to the public; it also houses a large convention centre and the archives of the département of Vaucluse.
[edit] Architecture
With 15,000 m2 of floor space, this is the biggest Gothic palace in all of Europe.[2]
[edit] The towers
1- "tour de Trouillas"
2- "tour des Latrines" or "de la Glacière"
3- "tour des Cuisines" (kitchen tower)
4- "tour Saint-Jean"
5- "tour de l'Étude"
6- "tour des Anges" or "tour du pape"
7- "tour du Jardin" (garden tower)
8- "tour de la Garde-Robe"
9- "tour Saint-Laurent"
10- "tour de la Gache" (derrière)
11- "tour d'angle" or "tour des Grands Dignitaires" (under)
12- "tour de la Campane"
[edit] Clément VI studium, also called "la chambre du cerf"
This room is one of the most famous rooms of the palace because of its paintings on the walls and roof.
[edit] The chapels
[edit] Saint-Martial chapel
located on the second level of the Saint-Jean tower, the Saint-Martial chapel relates through painting the main parts of Saint Martial's life. Matteo Giovanetti worked there in 1344 and 1345. The reading direction of the painting should be made from top to bottom.[3]
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4 angels
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saint Martial Chapel – west wall and door
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[edit] Saint-Jean chapel
From 1347 to 1348, Matteo Giovannetti was in charge of the Saint-Jean chapel, located under the Saint-Martial chapel.[4]
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ "Centre historique d’Avignon: Palais des papes, ensemble épiscopal et Pont d’Avignon [Historic Centre of Avignon: Palais des papes together with the Pont d'Avignon]" (in French). UNESCO World Heritage Centre. 2009-05-06. http://whc.unesco.org/fr/list/228. Retrieved 2011-06-10.
- ^ "The Pope's Palace | welcome". Palais-des-papes.com. http://www.palais-des-papes.com/anglais/pdpaccueil.html. Retrieved 2011-06-10.
- ^ "Saint-Martial chapel". Culture.gouv.fr. http://www.culture.gouv.fr/culture/palais-des-papes/fr/chapellestmartial.html. Retrieved 2011-06-10.
- ^ "Saint-Jean chapel". Culture.gouv.fr. http://www.culture.gouv.fr/culture/palais-des-papes/fr/chapellesaintjean.html. Retrieved 2011-06-10.
[edit] External links
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Coordinates: 43°57′03″N 4°48′27″E / 43.9508°N 4.8075°E
