Unique architecture is one of UNESCO World Heritage

The Palace was primarily built by two of the Popes who lived here, Pope Benedict XII, and his successor, Pope Clement VI between 1335 and 1364 and is the biggest Gothic palace in the world. The site was formerly occupied by the old episcopal palace of the bishops of Avignon. The Palace of Popes was built in two main phases with two distinct segments, known as the Palais Vieux (Old Palace) and Palais Neuf (New Palace). The former had a cloister in the center of the much larger buildings with four wings flanked with high towers. The later was expanded to form building new tower including Grand Chapel. The majority of the Palace is now open to the public; there are 15,000 square meters of living space, which is the equivalent of 4 Gothic cathedrals. The visitor can see more than 20 rooms in the palace, including the Papal apartments with their pricess frescoes painted by the Italian artist Matteo Giovannetti. It also houses a large convention centre and the archives of the départment of Vaucluse.