Religious Sights in Provence

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

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

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.

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

This 12th century Cistercian monastery is an iconic scene of Provence. With fields of rows of lavender in an isolated valley leading to a beautifully solumn sanctuary, the Abbey Notre Dame de Senanque provides a glimpse back in time - if you can ignore the crowds of tourists that invariably will share the moment with you.

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 large cathedral was originally built in 1096 and has undergone many additions and modifications over the centuries.

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).

This cathedral, also known as Sainte Anne d'Apt, is believed to be built on the site where Saint Auspice was buried.

The St Roman Abbey dates back to the 5th century, built by hermits and monks. It is cleverly ucarved into the surrounding rocks and cavities and you can wander around the chapel and ancient monk cells. It's heyday was in the 14th century when it was fortified and used as a college.

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.

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

This Carthusian monastery heralds back to the 14th century when it was built for Pope Innocent VI. The monastery consisted of a church and three cloisters which made it the largest monastery in France.

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

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.

This charming little church is located in the centre of Aix en Provence, alongside the Musee Granet.

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.