Town Fortification Avignon

A first ring wall was built together with the St. Bénézet Bridge in the twelfth century, when Avignon rose to become a self-governing city-republic modeled on Italian cities. During the siege of Avignon in 1226 by Louis VIII, this fortress was destroyed. After the city was attacked several times by troops of the Grandes Compagnies, Pope Clement VI decided in 1348 to erect a new circumvallation on the ruins of the old wall. Furthermore, the population was to be protected from impending floods of the Rhône. As part of an extensive defense plan, the city wall was to be equipped with numerous troops and protected by additional moats. The completion of the new defensive wall only took place in 1376, when the popes decided to leave the city and return to Rome.

In 1856, a part of the city wall was destroyed by floods. Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, who was commissioned with the restoration four years later, reinforced the wall for protection against floods and equipped the new city gate, Porte de la République, established at the train station, with two towers. Additionally, further gates were opened alongside the existing seven city gates to facilitate road traffic. The former moats were filled in during the 19th century and later converted into parking lots.