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Origin and history

The Saint-Martial Temple of Avignon, located at the corner of the streets of the Lices and the Republic, is a Protestant place of worship member of the United Protestant Church of France. Originally built in 1346 as the palace of Queen Jeanne I of Naples, he served only once when he came in 1348, during the black plague. This building, commanded by Sénéchal Hugues IV des Baux, then became a cardinalial livery in 1362, offered by Urban V to Cardinal Androin de la Roche, Abbé de Cluny.

Turned into Benedictine priory, it housed the chapel of the papal families of Clement VI and Gregory XI. Several cardinals were buried there, including Pierre de Cros and Guillaume d'Aigrefeuille, in a chapel today disappeared. In 1380 Cardinal Pierre de Cros founded a college for twelve Benedictine novices, under the direction of a rector appointed by the Abbé de Cluny. One of them, Robert de Chaudesolles, became even abbot general of the order.

In the 19th century, the disused church became a museum of natural history (1866), where Jean-Henri Fabre, curator, taught chemistry and botany. He organized public courses with Stéphane Mallarmé, attracting a diverse audience, including philosopher John Stuart Mill. These courses, open to young girls, will generate moral controversy leading to their abolition in 1870. Fabre then resigned from teaching.

In 1881, the building was assigned to the Reformed Protestant cult and listed as a historic monument in 1911. His organ, installed in 1984 by Pascal Quérin, is now an active place in the Avignon Protestant community. The temple preserves traces of its medieval past, such as the tombstone of Raymond de Beaufort, exhibited at the Musée du Petit Palais.

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