Avignon ramparts

You’ve reached the St. Michel gate. Avignon is one of the few French cities to have kept its ramparts completely intact. Built in the 14th century to protect the city, they still stretch over 4km today. Back then, there were seven entry gates and thirty-nine towers that kept watch for incoming attackers. The story of Avignon’s ramparts goes all the way back to the Roman period, in the 1st century AD, when the first walls were built to protect the city from enemy attacks and the flooding of the Rhône river. At that time, Avignon was known as Avenio. This wall stood strong until the 13th century, when King Louis VIII laid siege to conquer the city. In 1226, Avignon surrendered, and Louis VIII tore down the ramparts. He even issued a 5-year ban on rebuilding them. Once this time had passed, the locals set to work to rebuild them. It was with the arrival of the popes that the city walls took on their current appearance. The city grew, and the locals built new neighborhoods and new ramparts. They constructed an impressive 4-kilometer wall that rose 8 meters tall, with 7 entrance gates, reminiscent of the 7 hills of Rome. It took a whole decade to build it all along the banks of the Durance and Sorgue rivers. Fast forward to 1791, and Avignon, no longer under papal protection, became part of France. With no more enemies in sight, the ramparts were no longer needed. There was talk of destroying them, but in the end, they kept them and even reinforced them to hold back the floodwaters of the Rhône River. Today, they’re a UNESCO World Heritage site, adding to Avignon’s charm and whispering tales of its rich medieval past.