About this place
Hidden in the lanes just south of the papal palace, the Eglise Saint-Pierre is one of Avignon's loveliest churches and a complete contrast to the military bulk of the Palais des Papes. A place of worship has stood here since the early Middle Ages, but the present church was rebuilt from 1358 at the expense of Cardinal Pierre des Pres, its bell tower raised in 1495 and its exuberant Flamboyant Gothic facade completed in the early sixteenth century. Its great treasure is the pair of tall walnut doors, carved in 1551 by the Avignon sculptor Antoine Volard in rich late Renaissance style, crowded with cherubs, cornucopias, masks and foliage and bearing four larger figures: Saints Jerome and Michael on the left, and the Virgin with the Angel of the Annunciation on the right. The cool, dim interior, with its single soaring nave and gilded Baroque altarpieces, is free to enter and usually peaceful, a quiet pocket a few steps from the busy town centre.
Key facts
- 1358 year — Rebuilding of the church was begun by Cardinal Pierre des Pres
- 1551 year — Antoine Volard carved the richly sculpted Renaissance walnut doors
- 4 figures — Carved saints and figures adorn the famous walnut doors
📍 Place Saint-Pierre, 84000, Avignon