Collégiale Saint Agricol, Gothic church in historic center, Avignon, France.
Collégiale Saint Agricol is a Gothic church in the heart of Avignon featuring pointed arches, ribbed vaults, and tall windows that let in abundant light. The structure is supported by flying buttresses that extend outward from its walls.
Tradition credits Saint Agricol, bishop of Avignon around 660–700, with a church on this site; excavations found late 4th–early 5th-century burials beneath it. After Saracen raids, Bishop Foulques II rebuilt it as a priory in the 10th century. Pope John XXII raised it to collegiate status in 1321 and funded part of the enlargement; in the 15th century the nave was lengthened and the facade built in 1485. Restored in 1802, it served as cathedral until Notre-Dame des Doms reopened.
The church keeps the name of Saint Agricol, bishop of Avignon around 660–700, who tradition says built the first church here. His emblem, a stork with a serpent, appears on the marble baptismal font carved by Mariotty in 1841. The main altar by Jean-Baptiste II Péru (1767) holds relics of Saint Agricol and Saint Magne in a lead casket.
The church sits in Avignon's old town and is easily reached on foot from other historic sites nearby. Visitors can enter during opening hours to view the interior and appreciate the architectural details up close.
The church is one of the few examples in Provence where flying buttresses were used, a feature more commonly seen in large cathedrals. This architectural choice allowed builders to create taller, more slender walls.
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