Palais des Papes (Palace of the Popes) is one of Europe’s largest gothic buildings with a façade that is dauntingly fortress-like. The palace is Avignon’s most famous attraction. It was commissioned by Pope Benedict XII in 1334 and completed by his successors in 1364. It served as the refuge of the seven Avignon popes and the two antipopes of the Great Schism from 1309 until 1408, after which it was turned over to the papacy and left to deteriorate for years. During the French Revolution, the palace was the setting of a massacre of the counter-revolutionaries; their bodies dumped into the latrines. In the 19th century, the French government used the palace as a military barrack and prison, during which much of the palace’s beautiful frescoes were destroyed.
Situated on a rocky outcrop in northern Avignon, the Palais des Papes is built on the former site of a modest episcopal building. Unfortunately, most of the original furnishings were taken back to Rome while others were lost during the French Revolution, but its past medieval splendor can be imagined no doubt. The interior is austere and endless, occupying close to three acres of area – the likely setting of lavish banquets in its heyday.
The Palais des Papes is actually comprised of two distinct styles – the severe Palais Vieux (Old Palace) which was built by Pope Benedict XII and the more ornate Palais Nouveau (New Palace) which was built by the more artsy and indulgent Pope Clement VI. The two segments are linked by the entryway of the Great Court.
The Palais Vieux is especially fortified; it has four wings that are flanked by dominating towers. Its main rooms are the Chapelle St Jean whose original frescoes were painted by Matteo Giovanetti, the Consistory with its 14th century Simone Martini frescoes, the Grand Tinel or Salle des Festins with its vaulted roof and 18th century Gobelin tapestries hanging in its vast banquet hall, and the Chambre du Cerf with its ornate ceilings, murals featuring a stag hunt, and panoramic view of Avignon.
The Palais Nouveau’s main feature is the Grande Audience, which is a two-nave hall on the ground floor. Above it is the Grand Chapel or Chapelle Clémentine, which is a 52 meter long chapel once covered in rose-ornamented tapestries and once used as the Popes’ place of worship. The cardinals, in fact, used to congregate at the Grand Chapel to elect the new pope. | 
