To visit the Palais des Papes is to witness the power of the Papacy during the Middle Ages. In 1309, Pope Clement V moved the papal court from Rome to Avignon, where this palace was built between 1335 and 1352. This imposing palace was the most important monument in Christendom during the 14th century and is the largest building of the Gothic period in the world.
From a distance, the palace appears to be a giant fairy-tale castle. Visitors can take a tour of the interior to see the 25 rooms that are open to the public. 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.
Highlights include the Great Audience Hall, an enormous hall embellished with wall paintings; the Grand Tinel banquet room; 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.
