Musée du Petit Palais
Musée du Petit Palais is one of the narrated stops on the self-guided Avignon audio walking tour in Gingerguide. Plan about ~45 min here. Press play at the spot for its two to three minute story, or ask the AI guide anything about it.
- Type museum
- Suggested visit ~45 min
- Avignon Avignon guide
About Musée du Petit Palais
A museum of Italian medieval and Renaissance painting in a former cardinals' and bishops' palace on Place du Palais, home to the Louvre's Campana collection and a Botticelli.
The Musee du Petit Palais is a museum of medieval and early-Renaissance art at the north end of Place du Palais, housed in a former palace of cardinals and archbishops. The building was begun during the Avignon Papacy, about 1318 to 1320, for Cardinal Berengar Fredol the Elder, and was bought by Pope Benedict XII in 1335 as the bishops' palace. It was remodeled in Italian Renaissance style in the late 15th century, reaching its present form around 1503, and opened as a museum in 1976.
Its core holding is the Campana collection of Italian medieval and Renaissance paintings, deposited by the Louvre, which reached France after the Marquis Campana's bankruptcy and Napoleon III's acquisition around 1860. The museum holds about 327 Italian works among some 390 paintings, plus around 600 sculptures, figures that vary by source. Highlights include Botticelli's Madonna and Child of about 1467 and works by Vittore Carpaccio. It forms part of the UNESCO-listed episcopal ensemble of 1995.
Did you know? The museum's name is a play on scale: the Petit Palais is 'little' only beside the vast Palais des Papes, its neighbour a short walk across Place du Palais.
How long should you spend at Musée du Petit Palais?
Plan about ~45 min at Musée du Petit Palais. That is enough to take it in and hear its narrated story; stay longer if it grabs you. The tour is self-guided, so there is no rush.
Is Musée du Petit Palais worth visiting?
Musée du Petit Palais is one of the 13 sights the Gingerguide team researched and narrated in Avignon, so it earns a place on a self-guided walk. Its story explains why it matters, and you can ask the AI guide anything the story leaves open.
Nearby stops in Avignon
Sources and further reading
Where to check the facts about Musée du Petit Palais and read more:
Day 1 of the Avignon in 2 days itinerary →
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Hear the story of Musée du Petit Palais
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