Cité Episcopale
The town's most frequently visited site is its fortified cathedral in the heart of the Vieille Ville. At its center is the Cathédrale St-Léonce, completed in the 16th century after many generations of laborers had worked on it. It was begun in the 10th century, and parts of it date from the 12th and 13th centuries. Its most striking features are from the Renaissance -- ornately carved walnut doors depicting scenes from the Virgin's life and tableaux inspired by Saracen invasions. The 5th-century baptistery is one of the oldest in France. Octagonal like many paleo-Christian baptisteries, it features eight black granite columns with white capitals. Most interesting are the two doors, which are different sizes. Catechumens would enter by the smaller of the two; inside, a bishop would wash their feet and baptize them by complete immersion in the center outdoor pool. The baptized would then leave through the larger door; this signified their enlarged spiritual stature.
The most beautiful of all the structures in the Episcopal quarter is the 12th-century cloister. The colonnade's two slender marble pillars are typical of the Provençal style. Inside, the wooden ceiling is divided into 1,200 small panels decorated with animals, portraits, and grotesques by 15th-century artists. A bell tower rises above the cloister, its steeple covered with colored tiles.
The town's most frequently visited site is its fortified cathedral in the heart of the Vieille Ville. At its center is the Cathédrale St-Léonce, completed in the 16th century after many generations of laborers had worked on it. It was begun in the 10th century, and parts of it date from the 12th and 13th centuries. Its most striking features are from the Renaissance -- ornately carved walnut doors depicting scenes from the Virgin's life and tableaux inspired by Saracen invasions. The 5th-century baptistery is one of the oldest in France. Octagonal like many paleo-Christian baptisteries, it features eight black granite columns with white capitals. Most interesting are the two doors, which are different sizes. Catechumens would enter by the smaller of the two; inside, a bishop would wash their feet and baptize them by complete immersion in the center outdoor pool. The baptized would then leave through the larger door; this signified their enlarged spiritual stature.
The most beautiful of all the structures in the Episcopal quarter is the 12th-century cloister. The colonnade's two slender marble pillars are typical of the Provençal style. Inside, the wooden ceiling is divided into 1,200 small panels decorated with animals, portraits, and grotesques by 15th-century artists. A bell tower rises above the cloister, its steeple covered with colored tiles.
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