Walls of Avignon

City walls in the 13th and 14th centuries. The 13th century double walls are shown in red.

Historians had assumed that during the Roman period Avignon would have been defended by a wall,[1] but this is now considered unlikely.[2] A large amount of rescue archaeology has taken place in Avignon since the 1960s, especially around the Place de l'Horloge. This has revealed many details of the Roman town but no evidence has been found for a defensive wall.[2]

In late antiquity a rudimentary wall was erected by reusing material from Roman monuments. It was centred on the Rocher des Doms and enclosed a much smaller area than the Roman town.[3][4] This wall is mentioned by the Gallo-Roman historian Gregory of Tours when describing the siege of the town by the Frankish king, Clovis I, in around 500 AD.[4][5]

A 17th century map showing the two arches of the Portail Magnanen at the junction of the Rue du Portail Magnanen and the Rue des Lices. A bridge is shown over the inner moat.

In the 12th century the town enjoyed a degree of independence and became very prosperous. A bridge was built across the Rhône, the Pont Saint-Bénézet whose construction is traditionally dated to between 1177 and 1185.[6] There are no surviving records of when the first city wall was built but historians have suggested dates between 1060[7][8] and 1176.[3]

In the first two decades of the 13th century the town added a second wall with a second moat outside the earlier wall. The two walls were parallel and separated by around 30 m (33 yd). Built into the outer wall were a series semi-circular towers. Access to the town was provided by twelve pairs of gates, each pair consisting of a gate in the inner wall and another in the outer.[lower-alpha 1] Water for the moats came from the Sorgue through the Canal de Vaucluse. After 1229, additional water was also provided from the Durance by the Canal de l'Hôpital (La Durançole). The double walls extended around a perimeter of approximately 3 km (1.9 mi) and enclosed an area of around 45 ha (110 acres).[10]

During the Albigensian Crusade the town sided with the Count of Toulouse, Raymond VII. In 1226 the French king, Louis VIII, descended the Rhône valley with a papal legate and a large army en route to a new campaign against the Albigensians. Avignon refused to open its gates but after a siege lasting three months (10 June until 12 September) the city was forced by famine to capitulate. One of the conditions imposed on the town was the dismantling of the city walls.[11] The town rebuilt the defences between 1234 and 1237, presumably on the same plan,[12] but in 1251 Avignon lost its independence when the two younger brothers of King Louis IX, Alphonse of Poitiers and Charles of Anjou (Charles I of Naples) took back control and appointed a viguier (magistrate) to administer the town.[13]

Surviving fragment of the 13th century double walls at the junction of Rue Joseph Vernet with Rue Saint Charles

The only surviving piece of the 13th century fortifications is a small fragment of the outer wall at the junction of rue Joseph-Vernet with rue Saint-Charles.[14] Much of the path of the double defence is preserved in the city plan as modern streets follow what was once the gap between the two city walls. Working clockwise from the northeast the walls followed the rue des Trois-Colombes, the rue Campane, the rue Paul-Saïn, the rue Philonarde, the rue des Lices, the rue Henri-Farbe, the rue Joseph-Vernet and the rue Grande-Fusterie.[10] The path of early walls in northwest corner of the town near the Pont Saint-Bénézet is obscure due to the subsequent changes to the fortifications in this important area.[15]

The pairs of arched gateways were retained long after the double set of walls had been demolished and are depicted on 16th and 17th century maps of the town.[1] Many of the old gates were removed in the 18th century but the Portail de Pertuis was not demolished until 1847. The appearance of these gates is unknown as they are not depicted on any print or lithograph.[16] The names of some gates have survived in the modern street names: rue Portail Biensen, rue du Portail Magnanen, rue Portail Matheron and Planet du Portail Peint.[1][lower-alpha 2]

Water from the Sorgue joined the outer moat near the Portail Imbert, flowed around the walls to the Portail l'Êveque and then flowed away to join the Rhône. With the development of the town the moat was vaulted over although the river remained visible along the rue des Teinturiers. In the covered section of the moat, which now serves as a main sewer, the external surfaces of the 13th century walls are clearly visible as are the lower portions the semi-circular towers. The towers average 6.2 m (20 ft) in diameter and are spaced about 34 m (37 yd) apart. The façades of the buildings on the south side of the rue des Lice, rue Henri Fabre and rue Joseph Vernet are aligned with the remains of the outer city wall below ground.[19]

Porte Limbert before its demolition in 1896. The structure dated at least from the 15th century and possibly the 14th century.[20]

Avignon viewed from the right bank of the Rhône in around 1700 by Robert Bonnart (1652–1733)

Modern entrances. Those dating from the end of the 15th century are indicated by red disks, other vehicular entrances by orange disks and pedestrian entrances are indicated by green disks.
1. Poterne Banasterie 2. Porte de la Ligne
3. Porte Saint-Joseph 4. Poterne Saint-Lazare
5. Porte Saint-Lazare 6. Porte de l'Université
7. Poterne Chabran 8. Porte Thiers
9. Poterne des Teinturiers 10. Porte Limbert
11. Portail Magnanen 12. Porte Saint-Michel
13. Poterne Monclar 14. Porte de la République
15. Porte Saint-Charles 16. Porte Saint-Roch
17. Poterne Raspail 18. Porte Saint-Dominique
19. Poterne de l'Oratoire 20. Porte de l'Oulle
21. Poterne Georges Pompidou 22. Porte du Rhône
23. Le Châtelet 24. Tour Polygonale
25. Porte du Rocher

Pope Clement V moved the papacy from Rome to Avignon in 1309.[21] This led to a large expansion of the town so that the free space within the double walls was soon exhausted. Church officials began building outside the old walls,[22] joining the mendicant orders that had established monasteries outside the city gates in the previous century.[23] The residents of these new suburbs lacked the protection provided by the walls but were exempt from paying the city taxes.[22]

In 1348 Pope Clement VI purchased the town of Avignon from Joanna I of Naples, the Queen of Naples and Countess of Provence, for 80,000 gold florins.[24] Prompted by the threat from the bands of marauding mercenaries (free companies) that were roaming elsewhere in France, sometime between 1355 and 1357 Pope Innocent VI decided to protect the expanded town with a new set of walls.[25] The walls were to enclose a large lozenge shaped area that included the Chapelle Notre-Dame-des-Miracles in the southwest that had been founded by the second Avignon pope John XXII and the Hôpital Sainte-Marthe to the east that had recently been founded by the legal expert Bernard Rascas and his wife.[26][lower-alpha 3] The area of the town would increase by more than three-fold to 151.7 ha (375 acres).[28] The pope may have initially provided small sums for the project but from January 1358 the construction costs were paid for by a tax (gabelle) on wine brought into the town. Additional taxes were introduced on salt and general merchandise in 1363.[29] The papacy also lent money to the town to allow the work to proceed more rapidly.[30]

While work on the wall was progressing the town came under attack from unemployed mercenaries whose numbers increased when a truce in the Hundred Years' War was agreed in Bordeaux between the English and French forces in March 1357. In 1358 Pope Innocent VI bought off a group of mercenaries led by Arnaud de Cervole (known as the Archpriest) with a ransom of 1,000 gold florins.[31]

The new suburbs were protected with temporary wooden structures while the stone walls were being built.[32][33][34] Limestone for the walls and towers came from a quarry on the other side of the Rhône above Villeneuve-lès-Avignon, wood came from Savoy, lime for the mortar came from Villeneuve-lès-Avignon and sand came from islands in the Rhône.[35] By 1372 the new walls were sufficiently advanced to protect the town against a band of mercenaries en route to Italy.[36][34] Work continued and in 1381 the merlons near the Dominican monastery (Porte des Prêcheurs) were rebuilt.[20]

The walls extended for a length of 4.33 km (2.69 mi) and included 12 gates, 36 large towers and around 50 small towers with blind arches.[37] No wall was required for a stretch of 270 metres (300 yd) at the north of the town which was protected by the steep sides of the Rocher des Doms.[38] Except for a section near the Rhône between the Porte Saint-Jacques and the Rocher des Doms the walls were surrounded by a moat which was supplied with water from the Sorgue and the Durance.[39] Each of the gates included a drawbridge, a portcullis and a pair of heavy wooden doors.[20] The walls were crowned with a battlement which protected a walkway (chemin de ronde). The towers had tiled roofs and may have originally been fitted with wooded hoarding which were later replaced with stone.[40]

16th century and the Wars of Religion

Porte Saint-Lazare with its ravelin on a 17th-century map

In the first half of the 16th century the crumbling towers were repaired and between 1524 and 1538 extra loopholes were pierced for the newly acquired cannons.[20] In 1561 Pope Pius IV sent his cousin, Fabrizio Serbelloni, to organise the defence of the town against the Huguenots during the French Wars of Religion (1562–1598).[43][44] The walls were repaired, and three of the gates were walled up. These were Porte Saint-Roch, Porte de l'Oulle and Porte de la Ligne. The remaining four gates were strengthened by the addition of protective fortifications (ravelins) outside the gates themselves.[45][46]

From the second half of the 17th century some of the defensive structures were dismantled. Beginning in 1661 the three gates that had been walled up during the Wars of Religion were reopened, and a few years later all the drawbridges were removed. In 1679 some of the exterior fortifications protecting the Porte de Saint Michel were transformed into a triumphal arch dedicated to Pope Innocent XI (in post 1676–1689).[45]

There are now around 25 entrances through the city walls.[47]

Image	Gate	Notes
	Poterne Banasterie	Pedestrian entrance opened in the 1980s[48]
	Porte de la Ligne	In the 14th century there were two gates in the stretch of wall directly to the east of the Rocher des Doms: Porte Aurose and Porte de la Palefrenerie. Porte Aurose was located near the position of the modern Poterne Banasterie. At an early date, perhaps at the end of the 14th century, Porte Aurose was closed. Porte de la Palefrenerie became known as Porte de la Ligne. In 1755–1757 the Porte de la Ligne was moved and rebuilt in the classical style by Jean-Pierre Franque in its present position at the end of rue Palaphanerie.[49][50][lower-alpha 4][lower-alpha 5] The gate was restored in 2003.[51]
	Porte Saint-Joseph	Tower opened in 1965. Referred to as the "tour de la Navigation", it was purchased by the town from the French state in 1826 and until 1851 housed the office controlling navigation on the Rhône.[58]
	Poterne Saint-Lazare	Pedestrian entrance through small tower opened in 1974[59]
	Porte Saint-Lazare	One of the original 14th century entrances. A fortified avant-corps was constructed to protect the gate by Antoine Carteron in 1488. This was replaced in 1568 during the Wars of Religion by a ravelin.[52] The gate was restored and a second entrance created in 1882. At the same time the remains of the ravelin were demolished.[60]
	Porte de l'Université	Tower opened in 1962 to allow access to the Hôpital Sainte-Marthe. Avignon University now occupies the former site of the hospital.[61]
	Poterne Chabran	Tower opened in 1903 to allow easy access to the town from the army barracks outside the walls, the Caserne Chabran. The Caserne Chabran is now occupied by the Préfecture de Vaucluse.[62]
	Porte Thiers	Gap created in 1879, enlarged in 1908[63]
	Poterne des Teinturiers	Passageway opened in 1995. The tower, La Pyramide, contains sluices that control the flow of water from the Sorgue to within the city walls.[64][lower-alpha 6]
	Porte Limbert	14th century gate demolished in 1896 to allow more space for an electric tramline. A ravelin, constructed to protect the gate at the end of the 16th century, was demolished in 1760.[66]
	Portail Magnanen	Gap opened in 1902[67]
	Porte Saint-Michel	Original 14th century name was Porte Saint-Antoine. In 1595 during the Wars of Religion a ravelin was constructed outside the gate. In 1679 the gate of the ravelin was converted into a triumphal arch.[68] This arch was demolished when Eugène Viollet-le-Duc rebuilt the gate in 1868. Damaged by American bombs in World War II the gate was restored in 1951.[69]
	Poterne Monclar	Two small lateral openings created in the tower in 1972.[70]
	Porte de la République	Gap opened in 1855 to allow access to the railway station. In 1863 Viollet-le-Duc removed two old towers in the existing walls and built a fantasy tower on either side of the gap.[71]
	Porte Saint-Charles	Gap opened in 1902[72]
	Porte Saint-Roch	The original 14th century name was Portail des Miracles. It later became Porte de Champfleury. Closed during the Wars of Religion (1562–1598), it was reopened in 1661.[68] The gate was restored in 1742 and then rebuilt by Viollet-le-Duc in 1865.[73]
	Poterne Raspail	Entrance through a small tower opened in 1972[74]
	Porte Saint-Dominique	Gap opened in 1839, enlarged in 1953. This is close to the site of an original 14th century gate, the Porte des Prêcheurs or Porte des Dominicains, that was walled-up at the end of the 14th century.[75]
	Poterne de l'Oratoire	Pedestrian entrance opened in the 1980s.[76]
	Porte de l'Oulle	The original 14th century name was Porte Sainte-Jacques, it later became Porte du Limas. The gate was walled up during the Wars of Religion,[68] and opened again in 1663. Rebuilt by Jean-Baptiste Péru in 1785–1786 20 metres north of the original position, it was demolished in 1900.[77] Oulle or Oulo is a "cooking pot" in the Provençal dialect. They were sold in a nearby market.[78][76]
	Poterne Georges Pompidou	Pedestrian entrance opened in the 1980s[79]
	Porte du Rhône	This was one of the 14th century entrances. Its original name was Ayguière or Eyguière.[lower-alpha 7] During the Wars of Religion the gate was protected by a ravelin. It was rebuilt in a classical style by Jean-Pierre Franque in 1761.[82]
	Le Châtelet	The gatehouse controlled access to the town from the bridge. A tower constructed in 1368 was replaced by a larger tower in 1380. During the Western Schism Aragonese troops paid by the antipope Benedict XIII defended the papal palaces and bridge tower against attacks by people from the town. The bridge tower collapsed in 1410 during this conflict and was rebuilt in 1414. The bartizans at the corners were added in 1490.[41]
	Tour Polygonale	Pedestrian entrance through a tower that was built at the end of the 15th century. The tower is also referred to Tour des Chiens and confusingly as Tour Octogonale although there are eleven sides at the base and ten at the top.[83]
	Porte du Rocher	Pair of tunnels for vehicles through the rock that were opened in 1974. They provide access to La Place Ferruce and an underground car park.[38]

• Timeline of Avignon