Religious Sights in Provence

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

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

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.

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.

Formerly a Roman Catholic cathedral it is now a protestant church in the centre of the town of Uzes.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

The remarkable architecture and sympathetic restoration work make this one of the best Carmelite abbeys in the Vaucluse region and one that is less frequently visited by tourists.