AVIGNON AND THE SORGUES OF VAUCLUSE ,France,Antique Map

HISTORICAL MAP CHART

AVIGNON, a city of south-eastern France, capital of the lepartment of Vaucluse, 143 m. S. of Lyons on the railway )etween. that city an.d Iviarseilles. Avignon, which lies on. the left bank of the Rhone, a few miles above its confluence with the Durance, occupies a large oval-shaped area fully populated, and covered in great part by parks and gardens. A suspension bridge leads over the river to Villeneuves-Avignon , and a little higher up, a picturesque ruined bridge of the 12th century, the Pont Saint-Bnzet, projects into the stream. Only four of the eighteen piles are left; on one of them stands the chapel of Saint-Bnzet, a small Romanesque building. Avignon is still encircled by the ramparts built by he popes in the 14th century, which offer one of the finest examples of medieval fortification in existence. The walls, which are of great strength, are surmounted by machicolated battlements, flanked at intervals by thirty-nine massive towers md pierced by several gateways, three of which date from the 14th century. The whole is surrounded by a line of pleasant boulevards. The life of the town is almost confined to the palace de Hotel de Ville and the Cours de la Republique, which leads out of it and extends to the ramparts. Elsewhere the streets more narrow, quiet, and, for the most part, badly paved. At the northern extremity of the town a precipitous rock, the Rocher les Doms, rises from the rivers edge and forms a plateau stretchng southwards nearly to the Place de Hotel de Ville. Its summit is occupied by a public garden and, to the south of this, the cathedral of Notre-Dame des Doms and the Palace of the Popes. The cathedral is a Romanesque building, mainly of the 12th century, the most prominent feature of which is the gilded statue of the Virgin which surmounts the western tower. Among the many works of art in the interior, the most beautiful is the mausoleum of Pope John XXII., a masterpiece of Gothic carving of the 14th century. The cathedral is almost dwarfed by the Palace of the Popes, a sombre assemblage of buildings, which rises at its side and cuvers a space of more than 1 3/4 acres. Begun. in 1316 by John XXII., it was continued by succeeding popes until 1370, and is in the Gothic style; in its construction everything has been sacrificed to strength, and though the effect is imposing, the place has the aspect rather of a fortress than of a palace. It was for long used as a barracks and prison, to the exigencies of which the fine apartments were ruthlessly adapted, but it is now municipal property. Among the minor churches of the town are St Pierre, which has a graceful facade and richly carved doors, St Didier and St Agricol, all three of Gothic architecture. The most notable of the civil buildings are the hotel de yule, a modern building with a belfry of the 14th century, and the old Hotel des Monnaies, the papal mint which was built in 1610 and is now used as a music-school. The Calvet Museum, so named after F. Calvet, physician, who in 1810 left his collections to the town, is rich in inscriptions, bronzes, glass and other antiquities, and in sculptures and paintings. The library has over 140,000 volumes. The town has a statue of a Persian, Jean Althen, who in 1765 introduced the culture of the madder plant, which long formed the staple and is still an important branch of local trade. In 1873 John Stuart Mill died at Avignon, and is buried in the cemetery.

1890s Wood Engraving, Antique Map

Approximate Overall Size: 7 X 10 1/2 inches

CONDITION: Book Plate INTEXT MAP - Excellent Condition. Beautiful with excellent detail. There is Text on Front and Back Side.