DAY 7, SEPTEMBER 22, 2022

STAY

Antibes 4 nights, Lagrange ApartHôtel Antibes Olympie

SIGHTS

Avignon old town, Palace of Popes [Palais des Papes], Church, Pont Saint Bénézet bridge, Drive to Antibes

CHECKED OUT

Son went off to bring the car to the apt gate from the night parking spot. He did not repeat the previous day's mistake and drove along the perimeter of the wall and entered our empty street. I was ready at the gate with our bags. In a couple of minutes we were off... no hassle re the one way. Another guy had also come in like us.

We went to the square with the Pope's palace and parked in the underground ticketed parking.

The palace and the church look so impressive We had to wait for the palace to open. We visited the church.

Basilique Métropolitaine Notre-Dame des Doms

The monument stands near the palace, on the Rocher des Doms hillside, which affords views of the Rhone Valley.

On the cathedral's exterior, a splendid gilded statue of the Virgin crowns the tower with her hands outstretched to welcome the faithful.

This beautiful cathedral has a serene 12th-century interior. While the nave, bell tower, and portico are Romanesque, other elements of the building were added in the 15th and 17th centuries.

Upon entering through the main doorway, you'll notice the remains of frescoes by Simone Martin. Inside the cathedral, there is an inspiring sense of space and intimacy.

The sanctuary is filled with noteworthy works of art, including a 12th-century marble bishop's chair, the Romanesque (former) main altar, the Late Gothic tomb of (pope) Jean XXII, and 15th-century frescoes portraying the Baptism of Christ.

Then we tried to visit the bridge but that was not open as well. We walked back to the palace square.the Place du Palais

Place du Palais/ Palace square

An artist was setting up her paintings. .. right of the pic below

We walked along the rampart and enjoyed shops setting up their lavender products.

Palais de Papes

Bought the combo ticket for palace, garden and bridge and entered the pa;ace when it opened

The UNESCO-listed Palais de Papes was the residence of seven Popes from 1309 to 1377 and is a testimony to the wealth and power of Christendom during the Middle Ages

Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this imposing palace was the most important monument in Christendom during the 14th century, when Pope Clement V moved the papal court from Rome to Avignon.

Although most of the furnishings have disappeared, the interior offers a sense of the vastness of the space. The halls, stairways, bedrooms, and chapels were all built on a grand scale around a central courtyard.

More than 25 rooms are open to the public: rooms such as the Grande Audience Hall and the Consistory where hearings were held; ceremonial rooms of extraordinary dimensions such as the Great Clementine Chapel which held official events and liturgical services, and banquet rooms such as the Grand Tinel. It includes the Saint Martial and Saint John chapels, painted with priceless frescoes by the Italian artist Matteo Giovannetti. You also see the rooftop terraces which provide stunning views of the Palace, the city of Avignon and the Rhone River.

Highlights include the Great Audience Hall, an enormous hall embellished with wall paintings.
Nice model here
The Grand Tinel served as a banquet hall. The word Tinel was used in Italy and in the south of France for dining rooms or refectories. The wooden vaulted ceiling is recent, the original – which was covered with blue fabric and gold stars to create a celestial arch – was destroyed by fire in 1413.
the Grand Tinel banquet room;
The palace visit also takes us into the private apartments where the pope lived, including the Papal Chamber and the Stag Room, decorated with frescoes on a naturalistic, secular theme that was totally unique for the time.
La chambre du cerf or Stag Room showing 14th century frescoes that have been miraculously preserved to this day. Amongst other scenes, we see a gentleman holding a falcon on his fist, a forest with plenty of birds and a couple of dogs.
POPE'S BEDROOM

This is one of the few rooms in the palace where original and relatively well preserved wall paintings can be seen. The Pope slept in this room with servants called cubiculars (def: eunuch chamberlains) who looked after him. The furniture consisted of a bed – I suppose that the cubiculars slept on the floor – silk curtains, a chair, a table, a stool and several chests containing linen lined against the walls. Some popes also kept caged birds in their room as most were fond of birds.

The artwork on the wall is interesting. It looks almost like wallpaper, the mural is thought to have been painted in the mid-1300's – way before wallpaper was invented in the 18th century! The main motif represents yellow vines with green and reddish leaves or flowers against a deep blue background. The literature says that the design is populated with animals, but I can't see any animals in this picture. The paintings were originally done in tempera but have been extensively restored in the 1930's.

;the Saint Martial and Saint John chapels, decorated with well-preserved frescoes created by the Italian painter Matteo Giovanetti; and the Great Clementine Chapel, a huge single-aisled church where official ceremonies were held.

From the Great Chapel, there is an entrance to the loggia where the large traceried Fenêtre de l'Indulgence (Window of Indulgence) offers a view of the Great Courtyard. From this window, the Pope used to give his blessings to the faithful.

NORTH SACRISTY

Tomb of POPE CLEMENT VI

GARDEN

The garden has great views of the palace building

LAVENDER BUSH

we walked to the bridge next through the old town

Pont Saint Bénézet/Pont d'Avignon

This graceful 13th-century landmark is one of Avignon's most iconic sites

The Saint Bénézet Bridge is intriguing for its romantic half-ruined state and legendary association. Many are familiar with the famous song about the bridge ("Sur le Pont d'Avignon"), which was originally composed in the 16th century.

During the Middle Ages, the Pont Saint Bénézet was an essential crossing on pilgrimage routes between Spain and Italy. The bridge was used for transportation across the Rhône River until the 17th century (when the structure collapsed).

The Pont Saint Bénézet is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is open to the public as a museum. The site features multimedia displays that show how the bridge and its setting evolved over the centuries. we can also admire the 13th-century Chapel of Saint Nicolas, which is part of the bridge.