Villeneuve-les-Avignon Tourist Attractions
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Fort Saint-André
Built in the 13th and 14th centuries, Fort Saint André sits atop Mont Andaon and offers great views over the Rhône valley.
Fort St André - View
From Fort St-André with its two mighty round towers, built in the second half of the 14th C by John the Good and Charles V, there is a magnificent view of Villeneuve, Avignon, Mont Ventoux and the Lubéron and Alpilles mountain ranges. The massive walls enclose the little town of St-André, a Benedictine monastery and the Romanesque Church of Notre- Dame-de-Belvézet.
Pierre de Luxembourg Museum
The "pièce de résistance" of the Musée Municipal Pierre de Luxembourg on the Rue de la Republique in Villeneuve-lès-Avignon is the "Coronation of the Virgin Mary", painted by Enguerrand Quarton (or Charonton) in 1453, accompanied by works by Nicolas Mignard in the mid-17th C. and a 14th C. Madonna of painted ivory. carved from an elephant's tusk. Some pieces removed from the Carthusian monastery are also to be found here, including a 17th C. door and cupboard and some pewter-ware.
Chartreuse du Val de Bénédiction
Chartreuse du Val de Bénédiction, built in 1352, contains a church and three cloisters. The chapel is decorated with frescoes painted by Matteo Giovanetti. The Gothic tomb of Pope Innocent VI is also located within the chapel.
Chartreuse du Val de Bénédiction
In the northern part of Rue de la République in Villeneuve-lèz-Avignon can be found the former Chartreuse du Val de Bénédiction (Carthusian monastery), which was founded in 1356 by Pope Innocent VI and soon became larger than its mother priory, the Grande Chartreuse at Isère. In the church - the choir of which is in ruins, thus giving a clear view of the fort - can be found the tomb of Innocent VI, in the first bay on the right; dating from 1362, it was preserved thanks to the efforts of Prosper Mérimée in 1834.To the north of the monastic church lies the Petit Cloître (Little Cloister) and the elongated Cloître du Cimetière, measuring 20m/66ft by 80m/263ft, adjoining which were the monks' cells.
