Add a review about the Church of St. Agricola in Avignon

The Church of St. Agricola in Avignon is one of the oldest churches in the city: the first building here was laid by St. Agricola in the late 7th century. He was not considered a saint at that time and was a local bishop. The famous St. Agricola, with the help of the poor and the habit of defending the unjustified people at that time from the arbitrariness of the authorities, and mainly for this, in fact, was later canonized. Now he is considered the patron saint of the city of Avignon

So, the first building in this place was laid in the 7th century, then it was pretty much destroyed during the Saracen invasion, then it was rebuilt and rebuilt several times . That main building that we see now, built in the 12th century .In the 14th century the church was made collegiate, greatly increased and moved here by the relics of St. Agricola . Agricola (they had previously been stored in La basilique Saint-Pierre - St. Peter's Basilica .), and in the mid-17th century, . Agricola was officially named the patron saint of the city . The cathedral was repeatedly enlarged, so the design turned out to be very interesting .

Here the preserved zaaltar image and painted wooden panels around it made in the beginning of the 16th century.

The belltower looks very old - Romanesque, but on In fact, it was built in the 16th century, and rebuilt in 18 - an architect just created it so that it looked like the main building. The oldest main building is surrounded by chapels, attached later - at different times, to increase the size. A total of 10 - six on one side and four on the other, the oldest one dates back to the 16th century.

The interior decoration of the church was largely destroyed during the Great French Revolution, but something can still be seen. The most interesting is the zaaltar image and painted wooden panels around it, both done in the beginning of the 16th century. Also here you can find several paintings, old graves with epitaphs and a magnificent baroque altar

This church is famous for its wonderful organ of the 18th century and its chorus, concerts of organ and choral religious music are held periodically. Some of them are free, but in this case donations are collected during the concert - who will give how much.

Practical information

The entrance to the church is free for everyone, but you can inspect the building only when it does not have services, religious ceremonies and concerts. The time of services here varies greatly, but in general the church is open from 8:00 to 20:00. Also it is worth considering that here are the relics of St. Agricola, to which pilgrims are constantly going. To disturb them, take pictures, and even less interfere with them in any case.

Address: Avignon, Rue Saint-Agricol, La Collegiale Saint-Agricol d'Avignon. It's in the Old Town, you need to get there on foot.