Mature Flâneur

When the Pope Moved to Provence (well, wouldn’t you if you could?)

Avignon and the Papal Palace

The papal palace in Avignon at night. Photo by Teresa Erickson. All other photos by Tim Ward except as noted.

Once upon a time (1309 A.D.), the pope moved his seat of power from Italy to Avignon in Provence. It was all part of a complicated political power play, hastened by instability in Italy and the increasing influence of the King of France. In all, from 1309 to 1376, seven popes governed the church from within a gleaming palace in Avignon.

Teresa (my beloved spouse) and I spent three days in this charming medieval city while we were meandering through Provence. Our tour of the Papal Palace and cathedral was definitely the highlight. I loved the sheer, clean lines of the palace, evocative of Moorish mosques, and also the perception-bending drawings of Maurits Escher:

The Avignon Papal Palace has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its architectural and historical significance.

Full disclosure here: I tend to look askance at patriarchal, dogmatic, authoritarian, power structures. Not to mention the Catholic Church’s horrific legacy of misogyny, homophobia and pedophilia….Yet, after years of research into pre-Christian religions of early Europe, I have also come to see the Church as the repository of powerful myths that predate…