Avignon is at the heart of a heavily populated area comprising the various Vaucluse communes as well as those of the Bouches-du-Rhône and Gard. Each one of these cities and towns has its own characteristic appeal and is worth a visit. Furthermore, the cultural heritage is not confined within the walls of Avignon. Neighboring communities feature a variety of contemporary structures, religious edifices and fortifications that enrich the entire area. It would be a mistake to overlook the treasures scattered around the Avignon area.

OUTSIDE THE WALLS

Viaducts and the TGV Station

Planning for extensions of the high speed (très grande vitesse, TGV) rail lines from Valence, and between Marseille and Montpellier, began in 1989 and will become a reality in 2001. At that point the stations Valence-TGV, Avignon-TGV and Aix-en-Provence-TGV open, putting the papal city two hours and forty minutes from Paris and a half hour from Marseille.

The addition of the Avignon-TGV station to the station already at the foot of the ramparts enhances the future of the area between the Rhône and the Durance, which is known as the Confluence. The architects (Jean-Marie Duthilleul, Etienne Tricaud, Marcel Bajard and François Bonnefille) and a landscape artist (Michel Desvigne) conceived an innovative edifice : the 350 meter-long departure area's diagonal ribs are an homage to the vaults of the Palais des Papes. The glass north side and the concrete south side are designed to protect passengers from cold mistral winds and the hot southern sun. Raised terracing and enbanking harmonize the rail line with the comely countryside of the southern Vaucluse.

The architect Jean-François Blassel's viaducts across the Rhône are a remarkable technical and aesthetic success. Each one is 1,500 meters long, and is mounted on 37 piles, the last of which are fifty meters high, and ten of which extend out of the river. Their 120,000 cubic meters of concrete and 16,000 tons of steel actualize the material links between Paris and Marseille, and Marseille and Montpellier, two major European thoroughfares whose crossing axes have always borne the region's fortune. Beautiful views of the Vaucluse are revealed from the train ; of Avignon, the Rhône, Mount Ventoux and the Alps.

Eglise Saint-Joseph-Travailleur

Commissioned by the diocese of Avignon and consecrated in 1970, the Eglise Saint-Joseph-Travailleur manifests both a preoccupation with the mystical and a serious spirit of research. It's architect is Guillaume Gillet, who constructed the Palais des Congrès in Paris, as well as the celebrate churches Notre-Dame (Royans, 1958) and Saint-Crespin-et-Crépinien (Soissons, 1967). The plan is triangular ; Gillet created a trefoil vault, called "horse's saddle", whose axes join in the center to give rise to a spire that is open along the height of its three narrow windows.

The entrances, three doors on the main facade, and the lateral doors, take up the triangular theme, but this time vertically. The choice of cast concrete, topped with copper sheets that have oxidized into a handsome green patina, resolutely assure is place among avant-garde sanctuaries.

The interior of the edifice presents characteristics announced on the outside : authoritative large diagonal bands of stained glass by a student of Albert Gleizes, Father Roy ; the effectiveness of the triangular plan, converging on the main altar ; the composure and lyricism of the vault, carefully dressed with strips of light-colored wood ; stations of the cross whose minimalism suits the overall austerity, as grandiose as it is effective. But the church is only used on the saint's day of Saint Joseph.

To visit, it is necessary to ask that it be opened at the presbytery, to the left of the main facade.

Abbaye Saint-Ruf

The vestiges of the Abbaye de Saint-Ruf are probably the oldest Christian site in Avignon, most likely dating to the beginning of the sixth century. A large cemetery from the fifth and sixth centuries was discovered where a church must have been located and then abandonned for reasons of security, it being at a distance from the city. Dedicated to Saint-Ruf, considered by legend the first bishop of Avignon, it was restored to the Church of Avignon by the Emperor Louis the Blind in 917, but took on importance in the eleventh century. In 1039 four canons from a reformed chapter of the Cathedral of Avignon requested to retire to this outlying area to lead a more autere life.

At first directly dependent on the chapter, the community, which followed Augustinian rules, expanded towards the end of the eleventh century and was recognized as an order by Pope Urban II in 1095. People came to it from far, and the order spread to the southeast of France, to Languedoc and to Catalonia in the next century. Besides its spiritual merits, the ordre of Saint-Ruf also proved an artistic influence in Avignon, particularly on sculpture, and a significant intellectual center. Starting in 1120, the canons of Saint-Ruf imported the instruction of Roman law as taught at Bologna, giving Avignon an eminent place in legal history.

For unknown reasons, the main abbey was transferred from Avignon to Valence in 1158. Avignon remained a priory of the orderuntil its suppression in 1774. The church of the Abbaye Saint-Ruf dates from the twelfth century. It is difficult to be more precise, for lack of any convincing documentation. Only the east end, the ornamented transept, and the belfry remain.

Around the belfry stand remains of buildings probably from the eleventh century fortifications were built : the crenellated wall remains. Probably around the middle of the twelfth century a cloister was added ; the capitals found on the site (now at the Musée lapidaire) have been attributed to it. Since the abbey buildings and the church had fallen into disrepair over time, in 1763 the abbot ordered a precautionary demolition. Having been used in a variety of ways by private owners, what remained was donated to the city of Avignon in 1928, and restorations were undertaken starting in 1944.

MONTFAVET

Eglise Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Repos

Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Repos is a parish church today. It was conceived at the behest of Cardinal Bernard de Montfavet to house a religious community. Volumes from the original monastery are conserved in the perpendicular building.

The church was constructed between 1343 and 1347. It has one large nave, flanked by lateral chapels giving onto the buttresses, but half their height. The apse is pentagonal. These are characteristics shared by all "Southern Gothic" edifices. But this one has the distinction of having preserved its original disposition of the altars in the lateral chapels along the eastern wall. Two of these are still surmounted with the remains of painted crucifixions on the walls as tromp l'oeil altarpieces.

Among the tableaus, five are the work of Guillaume-Ernest Grève's students. Grève's was Avignon's principal atelier in the first half of the seventeenth century. The main gilded wood altar was created for the Eglise Saint-Pierre in the eighteenthe century, and was moved to Montfavet c 1830.

VILLENEUVE-LES-AVIGNON

Une ville royale face aux papes

Today Villeneuve-lès-Avignon is often considered a residential suburb that looks across at Avignon from the other side of the Rhône. However, this Gard-region city of nearly twelve thousand inhabitants also accommodates a rich cache of art and architectural elements which, united with its bucolic promenades, make it an extremely appealing place to see. A visit to this city is a must, and besides its intrinsic attractions, it reveals a great deal about fourteenth-century pontifical Avignon.

In 1293, Philippe le Bel granted the hamlet near the Saint-André Monastery, itsef founded the tenth century, the status of "new city". In so doing he created a frontier post controlling access to the Saint-Bénezet Bridge. He had already built a tower bearing his name at the entrance to the bridge. It was the king's intention to assure control of the route linking Villeneuve, which was in his kingdom, to Avignon, which belonged to the Count of Provence.

In the following century the installation of the pontifical court in the new capital of Christiandom resulted in the extensive development of its smaller neighbor. The cardinals appreciated Villeneuve's tranquility and verdant landscape. They were able to locate large parcels to build the sumptuous palaces they sought to inhabit. Clement VI himself built a palace ther, and Innocent VI founded the Chartreuse where he had himself interred within a remarkable tomb that can still be seen. This is how Villeneuve came to be constituted.

A good way to begin a visit of the city is from ist heights, which establishes its exceptional setting. Fort Saint-André extends over the city from its high and powerful walls. This royal enclosure protects the former Benedict Abbey and Saint-André hamlet. The two imposing towers marking the entrance provide breathtaking views of Avignon, the Rhône Valley, the Alpilles, and Mount Ventoux. This monumental entryway leads to the Abbey Saint-André, with its glorious tenth-century Romanesque elements. The famous architect, Pierre Mignard, rebuilt it in the sevententh century. The enchanting gardens alone provide reason enough for a visit, having been successively restored since the beginning of the twentieth century, mainly through two women's horticultural vision.

As you descend towards the city do not miss the Eglise Collégiale Notre-Dame. It was founded in 1333 by Cardinal Arnaud de Via, who donated his livrée for the purpose. The exterior is noteworthy for its fortified construction, while on the side attention is drawn to the sculptured consoles;

The municipal museum was established in 1886 in the hospice, and then in 1986 it was moved to the Hôtel Pierre de Luxembourg, whose name it now takes. Most notably, it presents several masterpieces of the late Middle Ages. For instance, there is a rare and moving Virgin from the fourteenth century, sculpted from an elephant's tusk. Arnaud de Via donated this large and finely wrought object to the collegiate church when he founded it. Enguerrand Quarton's altarpiece of 1453-54 is another famous Virgin. This Coronation of the Virgin alone is reason enough for a trip to the museum. It reveals an exceptional complexity of spiritual conception. The entire universe is represented, with attention to realistic detail and a developed taste for the rendering of landscape. Also make sure to see Simon Châlon's Entombment, as well as large seventeenth-century compositions by Philippe de Champaigne, Nicolas Mignard and Reynaud Levieux.

As you leave the city stop at the historically significant and impressive Philippe le Bel Tower, built to superintend the bridge's traffic in 1303, and augmented c.1360

Chartreuse pontificale du Val-de-Bénédiction

Huddled at the foot of Fort Saint-André, the timeless and peacefull haven of the Chartreuse pontificale de Val-de-Bénédiction is hidden from view behind its walls. Concealed in the midst of Villeneuve, its discretion attests to the priest's desire to retire "to the desert", far from the sound and fury of the world. This composure almost mkes one forget the
considerable dimensions of the largest and richest in Europe.

In 1973 it became a cultural center and houses the Centre National des Ecritures du Spectacle. From copyist monks to authors in residence, writing remains the main current in the range of activities now available here to dramatic authors.

Four centuries of Transformation

In 1352 the palace of Cardinal Etienne Aubert (his livrée cardinalice) was merely the residence of an important Churchman, a site inhabited by faith. A year later, the proprietor became the Sovereign Pontiff under the name of Innocent VI, and he bestowed the buildings on the Carthusian order.

The birth of a charterhouse, 1353-1360.

It took only three years to convert the cardinal's palace into a monastery. The structures gave themselves over to this easily enough. At the center was the church with its apse and three bays. Nearby, a dozen monk's dwellings were constructed, delimiting the cloister and the cemetry. Between the former livrée, the church and the cloister of the cemetry, a smaller cloister with cypresses and boxwood was created, with the chapterhouse at its back. Facilities necessary for community life were added, such as a laundry (locally called the bugade instead of the usual buanderie) and a bakery. High walls surround the ensemble. The church was consecrated on August 19, 1358, symbolically marking the achievement of the initial project. The work was financed by the pope's personal treasury.

Expansion of the monastery, 1360-1649

Only two years after its foundation the monastery underwent works of expansion and decoration. Innocent VI decided that he was to be buried at the Charterhouse. Thus, a chapel to house his tomb was added to the church. But the following year was a somber one for Avignon.

In 1361, the plague ravaged the city, and the victims numbered in the thousands. Innovent VI was spared. It is said that he thanked he Virgin for this by giving the Chartreuse the name Notre-Dame du Val-de-Bénédiction. He continued to provide for the site. When Innocent VI died in 1362 the monastery lost its protector, but his nephew, Cardinal Pierre Selva de Montirac continued to endow it, earning the epithet of second founder. In 1372 the number of priests doubled to 24, thanks to generosity of his gifts.

New cells thus had to be constructed. These were grouped around a new cloister, the Saint-Jean or upper cloister, built c.1372. The church also needed to be enlarged. A new bay, flanked with the Saint-Bruno and Saint-Michel chapels, was created. The brothers gathered in this new construction, while the old part of the church was reserved for the priests.

Pierre Selva de Montirac was not only generous scion of the Aubert family. Cardinal Audouin Aubert, Bishop of Ostie, and Cardinal Estienne Aubert, Bishop of Carcassone, also enthusiastically continued Pope Innocent VI's work, leaving large sums of money and reconstructing part of the site that was destroyed by fire. The extent to which the destinity of the Charterhouse is linked to this family is apparent. The generosity of the Auberts assured the community's accretion.

Other great local families followed the Aubert's example and donated land and buildings to the Charterhouse. It was thanks to these revenues that the monastery could both maintain its charitable works and commission the fine art works that kined its walls. At the beginning of the eighteenth century the Chartreuse's estave was considerable. Its lands extended not only around the monastery (e.g., Avignon, Rhenish islands of the Rhône, Pujaut, Aramon, Sorgues), but also into the Comtat Venaissin and Pont-Saint-Esprit, where it possessed priories. It influence was extensive. It trained novices, instructed illustious men of the frock and scholars, and aided the poor in times of famine, plague and flood.

The Golden age of the Charterhouse, 1649-1793

The Charterhouse reached its apogee in this period, and it was the wealthiest in France. It housed nearly 150 people, forty of whom were priests and thirty of whom were lay brothers, with an equal number of servants and workers. The community's wealth was discernable in the gold, marble, tableauw and sculpture that lined its walls. A monumental portal had been planned, abandoned, and then achieved in 1649. Its Baroque luxuriance reflected the taste of the time. Louis XIV and his large entourage entered the Charterhouse through this portal in 1660.

At the turn of the eighteenth century, besides the chapel for the dead that was soon built in the cemetry's cloister, mainly non-explicitly religious building were added, i.e.; barns, a guest houses, wood storage, a hospital, a servants'kitchen and a new dome over the Saint-Jean fountain. But if only prosperity and serenity reigned inside the walls, the site could not avoid the French Revolution. Three dates suffice to describe the collapse of this world : February 14, 1790, the suppression of religious orders; November-December 1792, departure of the monks ; May 17, 1793, sale of themonastery.

Revolutionary times to the present day

Thus began the long night of the Charterhouse. The building was transformed into a stone quarry and barns, and deteriorated with the two hundred-odd families who come to inhabit it. In his Notes from a Voyage to the South of France, Prosper Mérimée describes his consternation upon discovering the state of Innocent VI's tomb : "September 11, 1834. Today I went to Villeneuve to visit the Gothic tomb of Innocent VI. The Charterhouse where it is enclosed was sold in parts during the Revolution.

The tomb, included in one of the lots, can be seen amidst a winegrower's hovel. Barrels, olive trunks and enormous ladders are piled up pell-mell in this little cubbyhole with the mausoleum.

It can't understant how all the little pinnacles, the light and elegant leafwork have survived the tossing avout of all these objects. There is nothing more delicate, more graceful, more rich than this stone canopy. A great number of alabaster statues used to ornament the base. These were sold off, one by one. And the owner of this hovel smashed in the base for storage ! While htis magnificent monument has been ceaselessly mistreated, it is still one of the most beautiful examples of fourteenth-century Gothic ornamentation".

It was another three quarters of century before this cry was answered. In 1909, the architect Jules Formigé submitted his Rapport sur la Chartreuse de Villeneuve-lez-Avignon, to the Commission des Monuments Historiques. It is a scrupulous and well documented call for action. The state initiated its three-part action, Buy-Restore-Rehabilitate, which also took another seventy-five years. Parcel by parcel, the land and the buildings were bought up from the approximately three hundred owners who occupied them. Restoration was undertaken and continues.

Exemplary Restoration Sites

It was decided that the belfry would be restored to a fourteenth-century state, while evidence of changes would remain for the Saint-Jean cloister. It various transformations and uses, including its incarnation as a village square during the Revolutionary period, would be exposed. Time and the Revolution have altered La Valfenière's monumental portal. Given the volume of the tymphanum and the scultural subject-matter suggested by a miniature iconography, restorers created sculptures in the manner of Nicolas Mignard, taking their cues from an existing Virgin and Child. Innocent VI's features were copied from those of the recumbent statue on his tomb.

Armed with thes clues and advanced restoration techniques, the sculptors have endeavored to get as close as possible to a plausible restitution.

The Chartreuse, Cutural center

In 1973, local authorities and the Caisse Nationale des Monuments Historiques et des Sites established the Chartreuse as a cultural center. The Tinel was restored and transformed under this cultural mandate. This building was originally the official reception of the cardinal's palace. It became the priest'refectory during the Chartreuse days, and is the ensemble's second largest building (after the church). Today it is used as a performance space that can seat four hundred.

The building has begun its new life as an innovative tourist site and as a fascinating new residency center, somewhat on the model of France's Villa Médicis in Rome. The rigorous reconstruction of the site, including its open-air spaces, makes it an ideal location for collective and individual projects, meditation and creative pursuits. It remains linked with Avignon, its festival, and its position as an international center for theater arts.

It has been a receptive international center for research, creative activity and events since the 1970s. In 1991 La Chartreuse became the Centre National des Ecritures du Spectacle, offering residencies for research and creative projects.

The writers'residencies are the focal point for a range of activities that aim to support and promote contemporary dramatic writing. A highlight of the Festival d'Avignon is the Rencontres d'Eté de la Chartreuse, when a large public can encounter contemporary theater.

Fort Saint-André

The Fort Saint-André is a fortified enclosure flanked by watchtowers and featuring a monunental gate framed in twin towers. It was commissionned in 1292 by Philippe le Bel, king of France, to affirm the royal presence in the face of the Empire and the popes of Avignon. Fort Saint-André also protects the Benedictine Abbey and the small borough of Saint-André, which is known to have existed on mount Andaon since teenth century.