Religious Sights in Provence

A great way to discover the religious heritage of the area and a great example of Romanesque architecture.

The Petit Palais museum owes its name to the familiar name of the Archbishops Palace in which it is installed, name that it was given by reference to the great neighbouring palace: the Palais des Papes.

The synagogue of Carpentras is the oldest synagogue still in activity in France.

Beautiful baroque architecture, examples of 17th- and 18th-century frescoes and furniture and a large terraced garden.

With the arrival of French pope Clement V, Avignon was transformed into a religious and artistic centre. The grand Notre Dame cathedral has existed since the twelfth century, but the current building has been subjected to a number of alterations. The eye-catching gold statue of the Virgin Lady on the top of the tower is six metres in height and weighs 4,500 pounds.

Pope Benedict XIII ordered the reconstruction of this building after the original Romanesque church collapsed, in 1404.

From the outside you can't really tell what a beautiful cathedral this is, rich with carvings, gold leaf and painted walls, ceilings and archways.

The medieval church of Notre-Dame du Puy was raised to cathedral status in 1244, when the bishop transferred from Antibes to Grasse.

A Roman Catholic church that was once a catherdral and is now a national monument in France.

The cathedral of our lady of Nazareth, or Notre Dame de Nazareth, lies in the centre of Orange not far from the river.

This chapel was originally built after a local woodsman saw an apparition of the Virgin Mary in the clouds above the site in 1519. The first stone for the building was laid a month after the vision.

At the centre of the town's activity, the Church of Saint-Michel opens on to a square crossed by one of the main roads.

The church of Saint Leger sits amongst the narrow cobbled medieval streets in the very pretty little town that is Seillans.

This is one of three churches in the old village of Les Baux and has been built partly into the rock face behind it.

Originally built in 1222 this church was renovated and extended in the Italian Baroque style in the 17th century and was consecrated in 1672 by the Bishop of Cavaillon.

This monastery was founded and built in the 1970's and is now famous for its monks broadcasting their Gregorian chants live throughout the day.

This magnificent building was built for Pope Benedict III in 1335 as a residence and a 'grand project'. It's the largest Gothic palace in the world (at 15,000 square metres) and is in the top ten most visited monuments in France (over 650,000 visitors per year).

Aix's cathedral has its origins in the 5th century and it has been added to throughout the centuries.