Religious Sights in Provence

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.

The Montmajour abbey was founded in 948 by the Benedictines. It sits on a large rock and is surrounded by protected surrounding countryside.

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

St. Pancras chapel was restored by a local team of volunterrs. It overlooks the town of Digne les Bains and offers a panoramic view of the various surrounding peaks.

Graves, mausoleums and sarcophagi at this site date back to the beginning of the Roman empire, but it wasn't until the early Christian period that there was a large flurry of activity here.

Located in Collobireres, the old Carthusian monastery of Our Lady of La Verne is close in distance from the major tourist towns.

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

This church lies at the centre of what was the old Medieval village of Vaison la Romaine. It was built in the 11th century over the remains of early Christian buildings.

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.

Once connected to the cathedral by a semicircular vaulted corridor, the baptistery is a beautiful building situated in the narrow streets of Venasque.

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.

The present building is from the 18th century, however there has been a structure here from as early as the 13th century.

The 14th century Fort St Andre was built by order of the King of France, Philippe le Bel as a mean to keep an eye on the papal city of Avignon. Perched on a hill, this impressive structure contains the ruins of the Abbaye St Andre.

This old Romanesque style church dates back to the 10th century and was modified in the 12th century. Its austere exterior matches very plain interior decor, very typical to the Romanesque style of the old ages.

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

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

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