Villeneuve-lès-Avignon, from the Tour Philippe-le-Bel to the Charterhouse

The Tour Philippe-le-Bel guarded the bridge entrance

A fortress was built near the river between 1293 and 1307 to control the western entrance to Saint-Bénézet Bridge. The Tour Philippe-le-Bel is its main surviving structure. Travellers and goods arriving from Avignon entered the Kingdom of France here.

The medieval bridge crossed the arms of the Rhône and the islands on the site of today’s Barthelasse before reaching this bank. From the tower terrace, its former course can still be traced in the landscape: Avignon and its ramparts to the east, the Rhône plain to the south, and the centre of Villeneuve and Mont Andaon to the north.

The Mourgues hill above the tower quarter

From the tower quarter, the path leads to the Mourgues hill, south of the historic centre. This enclosed, wooded estate covers seven hectares above the rooftops of Villeneuve. Along the paths, gaps among the pines and holm oaks reveal the Tour Philippe-le-Bel, Fort Saint-André and Avignon beyond the Rhône.

After the Revolution, Villeneuve’s last Carthusian monk lived here, in the remains of the Petite Chartreuse. The chapel of Notre-Dame-de-Consolation stands at the highest point of the estate. On the descent, the path rejoins the historic centre and the collegiate church of Notre-Dame.

The collegiate church of Notre-Dame

The collegiate church grew from the chapel of Cardinal Arnaud de Via, enlarged in the 14th century to accommodate a chapter of canons. The cloister and bell tower were added in 1350. Along the side of the church, buttresses punctuate the pale stone wall as far as the bell tower.

Place Jean-Jaurès in the historic centre

In the centre of old Villeneuve, the plane trees of Place Jean-Jaurès shade café terraces and stone façades. The Pierre-de-Luxembourg Museum is a short walk away. Streets leaving the square climb towards Mont Andaon, alongside the walls and doorways of the former cardinals’ residences.

The climb to the fort and the Livrée de Giffone

After the papacy settled in Avignon in 1309, cardinals and prelates built residences surrounded by courtyards and gardens on the right bank. These residences, known as livrées and remodelled over the centuries, still line the streets of Villeneuve.

The long façade of Bertrand du Pouget’s palace lines the climb to the fort. Its other name, Livrée de Giffone, recalls its later occupation by Cardinal Léonard de Giffon.

The twin towers of Fort Saint-André

The climb ends at Fort Saint-André, at the summit of Mont Andaon. The walls enclose the former Benedictine abbey and the settlement of Saint-André, established on the hill before the royal town was founded. The present fort, built in the 14th century, asserted the French king’s presence opposite the territory of Avignon.

The two round towers frame the entrance above the historic centre. From the heights, the view takes in the Rhône, the Rocher des Doms, the ramparts and the Palace of the Popes.

The fort and the gardens of Saint-André Abbey

Inside the walls, Saint-André Abbey and its gardens form a separate visit from the fort. Around the abbey palace, the terraces combine pools, a pergola, olive trees and the remains of Romanesque churches. From the terraces, the view takes in the Rhône and the Palace of the Popes.

Innocent VI’s Charterhouse below Mont Andaon

Descending from the fort, the walk reaches the Chartreuse du Val de Bénédiction, founded in 1356 by Innocent VI around his former cardinal’s palace. The pope chose to be buried here. Beyond the monumental gateway, the route passes through cloisters, cells, chapels and gardens. The chapel of Saint John the Baptist preserves frescoes attributed to Matteo Giovannetti, who also worked at the Palace of the Popes.

Today, the Centre national des écritures du spectacle welcomes writers and theatre companies to the former monastery. These residencies connect it with theatre in Avignon in July.

Saturday morning antiques market on Place Charles-David

Below Fort Saint-André, Place Charles-David hosts the Saturday morning antiques market. Records, paintings, crockery and small pieces of furniture fill the stalls. Visitors stop to look at the objects before moving along the plane-tree-lined aisles. Above the houses rise the towers of the fort.

Continuing along both banks of the Rhône

Beside the river, the paths of the Barthelasse island offer views of Avignon and its ramparts. On the left bank, Saint-Bénézet Bridge and the Jardin des Doms bring Villeneuve back into view, with the Tour Philippe-le-Bel and Fort Saint-André on the horizon.

To the north, roads cross the Pujaut plain and the vineyards of Tavel and Lirac, in the Rhône Valley. To the west, the Pont du Gard and Uzès extend a stay in the Provençal Gard. Further south, on the opposite bank, Boulbon preserves the castle that guarded the same border from the Provençal side.