The Gardens at the Popes' Palace

The Gardens of the Palais des Papes are made up of three entities: the Jardin du Pape (or Jardin du Griffon) and the Jardin du Palais (or Verger de Benoît XII). The two "high gardens", located directly beneath the façades of the Palais, are open to visitors, while the Verger Urbain V or "low garden", located outside the Benedict XII enclosure, is a public garden managed by the city and open to the public. History of the gardens The gardens were created in the 14th century by the popes. The popes settled in Avignon for around a century (from 1309 to 1403), built a palace in the heart of the city - the Palais des papes - and laid out gardens for their pleasure. These gardens were enlarged, transformed and embellished throughout this period. The popes left Avignon for good in 1403. The legates and vice-legates were then entrusted by the pontiff with the management of the city of Avignon, since the city had been purchased by the pope in 1348. They lived in the Palais and made major changes to the gardens. During the French Revolution, the Palais was confiscated as national property. In the early 19th century, it was occupied by the military. The gardens were completely transformed and changed in nature: they lost their pleasure vocation and became a place for military exercises. After the departure of the Civil Engineers in 1906, the City became the owner of the Palais. Over several decades, it undertook a long and patient restoration of the monument. Restoration work on the gardens, planned for over a century, has only recently begun. The restoration project Initially, preventive archaeology studies were entrusted to Anne Allimant-Verdillon. Then, the redevelopment of the gardens of the Palais des Papes was carried out by Didier Repellin's team, Architecte en chef des Monuments historiques, composed of Mirabelle Croizier and Thomas Bricheux, heritage architects, and Antoine Quenardel, landscape architect, OGI - Philippe Carton, fountain engineer. 700 years of history: The superimposition of archaeological strata forms a complex palimpsest, the result of many successive states from the 14th to the 20th century. However, it is impossible to reconstruct any one state. On the one hand, archaeology has not made it possible to recover a state in its entirety, but rather an entire history, fragmented and interwoven. On the other hand medieval soil levels would require the destruction of particularly interesting of particular interest. The Florence Charter is explicit on this point: article 17, "when a garden has totally disappeared or when only conjectural elements of its successive states are known, no restitution can be undertaken that would fall within the notion of a historic garden. This is why we have chosen to evoke the site's rich history by restoring its spaces, ambiences and, in some cases, its uses, rather than by restoring its forms. The project takes up the constants of the site: water, pergolas, boundaries, vegetation and, of course, the exceptional scale of the eastern façade of the Palais. The gardens are listed as Historic Monuments and are part of the UNESCO World Heritage site. The 3 gardens inaugurated in 2018 and 2020 have received several awards: - Le Geste d'Or de la Maîtrise d'Ouvrage in November 2019, with 10 Monuments Historiques rehabilitation operations led by the City. - Les Victoires du Paysage, in December 2022, a gold medal in the historic garden category, and the public prize. This competition is organized every two years by Val'hor, a professional organization representing all plant professions (nurseries, landscape architects and landscape contractors). It is an excellent opportunity to recognize the quality and uniqueness of a project. - The Remarkable Garden Label was awarded in 2023 by the French Ministry of Culture for a period of 5 years. It is awarded to high-quality gardens open to the public, whose owners ensure that they are well-maintained and that the public is well-informed. You can visit the gardens of the Palais on their own, or combine them with a visit to the Pont d'Avignon or the Palais des Papes. Free admission every day for Avignonnais and Montfavet residents on presentation of proof of address. Bookings must be made with the Tourist Office on site / by telephone on +33(0)4 32 74 32 74 or via the following link: http://online3-next.citybreak.com/675562970/fr/fr/voir-et-a-faire Pets are not allowed. Picnics are not permitted.