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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Palais du Roure, also known as "Hôtel de Baroncelli-Javon", is a mansion built in Avignon in the 15th century. Originally, in 1469, Pierre Baroncelli, a Florentine gibelin close to the legate Julien della Rovere (future Pope Julius II), acquired a tavern and nearby houses to make it his home. The Baroncelli family, influential in the region, thus marks the history of this emblematic building.

In the 19th century, the building, then owned by the Marquis Folco de Baroncelli-Javon, became a high place of the Félibrige, an Occitan cultural movement. Frédéric Mistral called it "Palais du Roure" (Oak Palace). In 1908, the palace was sold, then saved in 1918 by Jeanne de Flanders, who founded a Mediterranean culture home there. His marriage in 1936 with archaeologist Émile Espérandieu reinforces his prestige, leading to the creation of the Flandersy-Espérandieu Foundation, which was left to the city of Avignon in 1944.

Ranked a historic monument in 1941, the palace now houses a museum dedicated to history and regional sociology. Its collections, accessible to the public, reflect the Provencal and Mediterranean cultural heritage. The building thus embodies almost six centuries of history, combining architectural heritage, cultural commitments and local memory.

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