Our campsite in Avignon, the small capital at the heart of Provence, was on tiny island in the middle of the Rhone, just opposite a pretty ruined bridge, the Pont Saint-Benezet, that projects only part way across the river, as many of its arches and piles have long ago collapsed in flood waters. This bridge came into being early in the 12th century when a shepherd, who later became Saint-Benezet, on hearing voices from angels, believed he needed to go forth and build a bridge to cross the Rhone, at exactly this point.
The shepherd, after receiving much initial scorn over his visions, convinced wealthy patrons to build the bridge, by revealing to them his miraculous-given powers received at the time of the vision: by lifting a massive stone which no ordinary human could lift without help from above.
The bridge was built and when the shepherd eventually died he was interred in a chapel on the bridge, and, in time, duly venerated and canonised as a saint. I am not surprised. Saint-Benezet opened a rich new gateway to Mediterranean trade with his bridge, so his advisory board of heavenly angels offered all and sundry some very enriching advice, in hindsight.
We boarded a small ferry not far from the bridge to cross to the left bank, to Avignon, which rises steeply up hundreds of terraced steps, and sits behind beautifully fashioned ramparts, high over the Rhone. Avignon is well visited thanks to an era in Catholic history when a group of popes (and anti-popes: those with regal and political support who set themselves up in opposition to sitting or elected popes: a little like pretenders to thrones) moved their base of influence from Rome to Avignon.
One of the Avignon popes, Clement VI, was a big spender. Clement set about securing Avignon for the papacy from the Queen of Sicily in 1348. While the papacy held it until the 18th century it was home to the Avignon popes for only about 70 years, in the 14th century.
When the first pope moved into town the sitting bishop was shunted further down the hill, and the bishop’s old residence at the top was extended, for and by the popes, until it is what we see today: the rather monumental Palais des Papes, an Avignon Vatican, right down to the spacious assembly square in front of the Palais, along with exceptionally fine ramparts encircling and protecting the town.
The chambers, towers, halls, cloisters and salles of haute cuisine of the Palais des Papes make another excellent historic site, a UNESCO site, where the audioguide commentary could keep me enthralled for days, with tales of allegiances, alliances, politics, power, intrigue, and how this all plays out.
Some of these popes did austere pope-like things: spent much time in prayer, reflection, abstemious living, and the doing of good and worthwhile deeds. Others, like Clement, lived an extravagant lifestyle, importing vast quantities of luxury goods from all over the world: silks from Syria, tapestries from Bruges, fish from Brittany. In vast quantities, to satisfy and enhance their courtly life. At huge expense.
So much so that Avignon soon became a trade hub, attracting money changers and lenders, who set about building banks and residences in the better part of town, called the Exchange, which then attracted more money, more trade, more visitors, and more expenditure.
Some Avignon popes lead lifestyles more lavish than royalty, and when they eventually popped their clogs, they were often buried in gothic glory in the Cathedral right next door, Notre Dame des Doms, where some of them had earlier been crowned as pope.
In this cathedral St Thomas Aquinas was canonised. From here, the first ever procession honouring the Corpus Christi was initiated, in 1317. And these cathedral bells rang out the first ever evening Angelus. So, in terms of Catholic history this is quite an influential little Cathedral, and to honour it a group of nuns from the Polish Carmelites of the Child Jesus maintain a constant religious presence here today. Avignon is a place to spend weeks, not days, but we rarely have the time for that luxury.
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| Pont Saint-Benezet bridge where we camped in Avignon |
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| Palais des Papes, Avignon |
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| Buskers always appear in tourist areas |
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