Tourist attractions Villeneuve-lès-Avignon

This 15 000m Palais des Papes is made up of the Old Palace and the New Palace. The former, a fortress with austere architecture, was commissioned by Benoît XII in 1334. Artist and prodigy, Clément VI, grand prince of the Church, must have found it ra..

Louis XIV called the stage wall of the Ancient Theatre "the most handsome in the kingdom". It is made of granite and African breccia, and its outer facing is striking in its simplicity – it is broken only by the corbels supporting the poles..

The «Bridge of Avignon» which was in fact built for pedestrians and cavaliers was about 900m long with 22 arches and ended at the Tower of Philippe-le-Bel de Villeneuve-lès-Avignon. Situated on one of the bridge supports, the chapel of St-Nicholas ..

The Pope bought Cardinal Arnaud de Via’s palace in 1335 to install the bishop’s house there. It now houses the Petit Palais Museum’s paintings, of which the Campana Collection of Italian paintings from the 13C and 16C is the high point. Don’t miss ..

A stone’s throw from the Papal Palace. From the different levels you can take in views of the Rhône, St Bénézet Bridge, Philippe-le-Bel Tower and the fort of St André de Villeneuve-lès-Avignon, Mt Ventoux, the Alpilles…

A collection donated to a couple of Avignon painters by the Paris dress designer, Jacques Doucet : paintings by Cézanne, Sisley, Manet, Derain, Picasso, Modigliani ( The Pink Blouse ) and Foujita, and The Railway Waggons , painted by Vincent Van Go..

Its classical 17C façade, terraces and balustrades decorated with lions and flower urns overlook a pond and Italian-style park. The interior of the château, designed by Louis-François de Valfenière, features an 18C décor of Italian inspiration. The f..

Erected c 20 BC this remarkably large and extremely well preserved triumphal arch is one of the most imposing examples from Ancient Roman times in existence. Furthermore, the north façade has retained a good deal of its original decoration, which com..

The plateau is composed of Glanum city , abandoned in the 15C following barbaric invasions, and two superb monuments, the mausoleim and the municipal arch which amidst a wood of pine trees paint one of the most romantic pictures imaginable.

Housed in the Pierre-de-Luxembourg mansion, the municipal museum displays some exceptional artworks, including a 14C Virgin in polychrome ivory, carved from elephant tusk. Note also the Virgin with two faces from the Nuremberg school (14C), the chasu..

The fort enclosed an abbey, the Romanesque chapel of Notre Dame de Belvézet and a village of which nothing remains. It was erected in the 14C by Jean the Good and Charles V. Its magnificent entrance, the twin towers , is a fine example of medieval..

The Val-de-Bénédiction Charterhouse is worth a detour. Once through the cloister gate , walk towards the main nave of the church which affords a superb view of Fort St-André. Visit the small cloister, the chapter house, the sextons' courtyard and ..

In addition to Arles-born Joseph Vernet ’s great seascapes, this museum founded by Dr Esprit Calvet houses numerous sculptures, fine goldwork and earthenware (Puech Donation), French, Flemish and Italian paintings from the 16C-19C ( The Death of Bar..

Behind the Baroque façade of the Chapelle des Jésuites lies a trove of treasures from the region’s past. From the Noves "Tarasque" (a monster from Celtic tradition) to the Gallo-Roman period, superb statues: portraits of emperors or simple ..

Remarkable pieces excavated at the Glanum archaeological site are exhibited at the Hôtel de Sade (15C-16C).

Here you can see a series of mural paintings on the theme of torture, by Mario Prassinos (1916-1985) for the Notre-Dame-de-Pitié chapel: tortured trunks and branches, in an austere contrast of black and white a few days before the artist died of ca..

A Celto-Ligurian tribe, the Glanics, made this sanctuary into a city, which was in close contact with local merchants and comprised the public buildings and peristyle houses that were highly influenced by Hellenistic style. The Roman conquest gave ri..

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Of the 12C building, the remarkable Romanesque cupola over the transept crossing still remains. In the chapel adjoining the vestry, note the flamboyant Gothic tomb of Pope John XXII and, at the entrance to the choir stalls, a fine bishop's seat m..

http://www.zevisit.com/Columbus/partenaire/ETAPE/FLUXXMLDOWNLOAD/US/VIAMICHELIN/35/etape-audio.mp3