Notre_Dame_des_Doms
Avignon Cathedral
Cathedral in Avignon, France
Avignon Cathedral (French: Cathédrale Notre-Dame des Doms d'Avignon) is a Roman Catholic church located next to the Palais des Papes in Avignon, France. The cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Avignon.
The cathedral is a Romanesque building, constructed primarily in the second half of the 12th century.[1] The bell tower collapsed in 1405 and was rebuilt in 1425. In 1670–1672 the apse was rebuilt and extended.[2] This led to the destruction of the medieval cloister.[3]
The building was abandoned and allowed to deteriorate during the Revolution, but it was reconsecrated in 1822 and restored by the archbishop Célestin Dupont in 1835–1842.[4] The most prominent feature of the cathedral is a gilded statue of the Virgin Mary atop the bell tower which was erected in 1859.[4] The interior contains many works of art. The most famous of these is the mausoleum of Pope John XXII (died 1334), a 14th-century Gothic edifice. It was moved in 1759, damaged during the Revolution, and restored to its original position in 1840.[5] The cathedral was listed as a Monument historique in 1840.[6] In 1995, the cathedral, along with the Palais des Papes and other historic buildings in the Avignon city center, became a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its outstanding architecture and its importance during the 14th and 15th centuries.[3]
