Avignon

We arrived here last night in a rain shower. The temperature has dropped and, for the first time, there are clouds in the sky. Connie and are hunkered down watching the royal wedding. We’ll go out and explore Avignon this afternoon. Can’t miss a royal wedding. Hope you are all enjoying it too.

I actually photographed most of the wedding from the TV – photos are pretty good. We just loved it all. The dress was gorgeous and the service simple. I think they did a great job….and the Abbey is so much nicer than St. Paul’s. We ate our sandwiches in the room and had a carafe of white wine to drink a toast.

Then off we went to do our own walking tour of Avignon. The sky cleared and it is as warm as ever.

The site of Avignon was settled very early on; the rocky outcrop (le Rocher les Doms) at the north end of the town, overlooking the Rhône River, may have been the site of a Celtic oppidum or hill fort.
Avignon, written as Avennio or Avenio in the ancient texts and inscriptions, takes its name from the Avennius clan. Founded by the Gallic tribe of the Cavares or Cavari, it became the centre of an important Phocaean colony from Massilia (present Marseilles).
Under the Romans, Avenio was a flourishing city of Gallia Narbonensis, the first Transalpine province of the Roman Empire, but very little from this period remains (a few fragments of the forum near Rue Molière).
During the inroads of the Goths, it was badly damaged in the fifth century and belonged in turn to the Goths, the kingdoms of Burgundy and of Arles, in the 12th Century. it fell into the hands of the Saracens and was destroyed in 737 by the Franks under Charles Martel for having sided with the Arabs against him. In 1033, Avignon passed to the Holy Roman Empire. With the German rulers at a distance, Avignon set up as a republic with a consular form of government, between 1135 and 1146.
At the end of the twelfth century, Avignon declared itself an independent republic, but was was crushed in 1226 during the crusade against the Albigenses (the dualist Cathar heresy centered in neighboring Albi). After the citizens refused to open the gates of Avignon to King Louis VIII of France and the papal Legate, a three month siege ensued, ending in capitulation by Avignon on 13 September 1226. Following the defeat, they were forced to pull down the ramparts and fill up the moat of the city.
In the 13th century, Avignon passed to the counts Charles of Anjou and Alphonse de Poitiers, brothers of French king Saint Louis IX. In 1271, Avignon and the surrounding countship Comtat-Venaissin were united with the French crown. In 1274, the Comtat became a possession of the popes, with Avignon itself, self-governing, under the overlordship of the Angevin count of Provence (who was also king of "Sicily" [i.e., Naples]). The popes were allowed by the count of Provence (a papal vassal) to settle in Avignon in the early 14th century. The Black Death appeared at Avignon in 1348; killing almost two-thirds of the city's population.
In 1309 the city, still part of the Kingdom of Arles, was chosen by Pope Clement V as his residence, and from 1309 until 1377 was the seat of the Papacy instead of Rome. This caused a schism in the Catholic Church. The popes bought Avignon from the Angevin ruler for 80,000 florins in 1348. From then on until the French Revolution, Avignon and the Comtat were papal possessions, first under the schismatic popes of the Great Schism, then under the popes of Rome ruling via legates and vice-legates. In 1378, Gregory XI moved the papal residence back to Rome, but due to a dispute over the election after his death, a faction of cardinals set up an “anti-pope back in Avignong. This new schism finally ended in 1417. During this period, Avignon became a flourishing cengter of art, under the influence of Italian artists who worked for the popes. Avignon belonged to the Papacy until 1791, when it was reincorporated with France.

The period from 1309–1377 — the Avignon Papacy — was also called the Babylonian Captivity of exile, in reference to the Israelites' enslavement in biblical times.
The walls that were built by the popes in the years immediately after the acquisition of Avignon as papal territory are well preserved. As they were not particularly strong fortifications, the Popes relied instead on the immensely strong fortifications of their palace, the "Palais des Papes". This immense Gothic building, with walls 17–18 feet thick, was built 1335–1364 on a natural spur of rock, rendering it all but impregnable to attack. The building is enormous and dominates the Place du Palais. It is a magnificent example of Gothic architecture, but has been enlarged over the years and is a complex of buildings. Most of the rooms are bare, having been looted over the years. It had been, in the 14th century, a center of luxury and vice. I visited the palace years ago and did not want to go in again – once you are inside, the doors close behind you and there isonly one way out – by going through the entire complex. The old town is surrounded by a three-mile long wall fortified with 39 towers and 8 gates. The walls were built from 1350 to 1368 and restored in the 19th century. We climbed the Rocher des Doms in a beautiful park and found magnificent views of the Rhône, Villeneuve-lez-Avignon and its castle across the river, and the Pont St. Bénézet – the bridge of the children’s song: “Sur le Pont d’Avignon”. In actual fact, people danced “sous” (under) the bridge and not “sur” (on) the bridge. But, over the years, “sous” became “sur”. It was built in the 12th century and was partly washed away by a flood in the 17th century. The Rhône is known for terrible flooding – it was not completely tamed with locks and canalization until fairly recently. It can be a wild and dangerous river.
We then descended from the heights into the Place de l’Horloge, bordered by plane trees, the Hôtel de Ville, the Opéra Theatre and classic mansions. We had a coffee in one of the many open-air cafés and watched the children on the merry-go-round. On the way up to the Rocher des Doms, we were “treated” to rap music, skate-boarders and wannabee break dancers. Youth is the same the world over.
Then it was back to the ship for the captain’s farewell dinner. Another wonderful evening, with champagne to start and a delicious meal which included foie gras!! A local entertainer played ABBA and Lady Gaga and Village People and we all danced ourselves silly.

And now for the cheeses I have eaten over the past 14 days:

Camembert, Pont l’Evêque, Comtat, Bleu d’Auvergne, Cabecou, Comté, Crottin de Chavignol, Morbier, Reblochon, Epoisses, Cantal, Chaource, Livarot, and others Iève forgotten – cheese after lunch and cheese after dinner. How will I survive at home?