The second day of the weekend in Provence was split between les Baux-de-Provence and Avignon.
Les Baux is a very small, old, beautiful village in the Alpilles. It is also the home of the incredible ruins of le Château des Baux, which was built in the 11th century and was destroyed on Richelieu's orders because it was a practically unassailable bastion of Protestantism.
Avignon has the charming feeling that I've found in some other cities in the provinces, like Tours and Lyon. It's like a three-course dinner to Paris' seven courses. We visited the Papal Palace and the famous Pont d'Avignon, which is in fact, only half a pont.
The Avignon Papacy began when Pope Clement V said, "No way, José. Rome is crazy. I ain't living there!"* Benedict XII renovated the Cistercian monastery where Clement had set up camp, creating what is known as le palais vieux.
Clement VI, who was noble by birth, decided be wanted the look of the Palace to be a little less "I have taken a vow of poverty" and a little more "I am the most powerful man in Christendom." Our guide repeatedly used the words "a castle of the Renaissance" to describe what Clement did. He was very ahead of his time, ornamenting le palais neuf with painted tile floors and sumptuous frescos at least three centuries before even the kings of France did the same.
Of course, then there was that whole Papal Schism business and the papacy ended up back in Rome. But Avignon must have been beautiful while it lasted!
My favorite part of the Palais des Papes was the contemporary art exhibit of Miquel Barceló's work. So bizarre. So cool.
And of course, Sur le Pont d'Avignon :
Amb amor,
Maria
* May or may not be correct translation of Pope Clement V quotation.
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| Les Baux in the distance. It was windy in those hills! |
Avignon has the charming feeling that I've found in some other cities in the provinces, like Tours and Lyon. It's like a three-course dinner to Paris' seven courses. We visited the Papal Palace and the famous Pont d'Avignon, which is in fact, only half a pont.
The Avignon Papacy began when Pope Clement V said, "No way, José. Rome is crazy. I ain't living there!"* Benedict XII renovated the Cistercian monastery where Clement had set up camp, creating what is known as le palais vieux.
Clement VI, who was noble by birth, decided be wanted the look of the Palace to be a little less "I have taken a vow of poverty" and a little more "I am the most powerful man in Christendom." Our guide repeatedly used the words "a castle of the Renaissance" to describe what Clement did. He was very ahead of his time, ornamenting le palais neuf with painted tile floors and sumptuous frescos at least three centuries before even the kings of France did the same.
Of course, then there was that whole Papal Schism business and the papacy ended up back in Rome. But Avignon must have been beautiful while it lasted!
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| Thank you, Wikipedia, for this wonderful picture |
And of course, Sur le Pont d'Avignon :
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| Literally sur le pont. |
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| Le Pont d'Avignon |
Maria
* May or may not be correct translation of Pope Clement V quotation.
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