Gothic Papal Palace, Avignon I by brewgirlca
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Description
In the spring of 2013 I travelled for two weeks in France, pretty much covering the entire rim of the country. I had just bought my new Nikon 7100 and a 11-16 mm Tokina wide angle zoom just the week before I left, So I was shooting under a baptism of fire with a new high end camera kit on this trip. For architecture the kit was a gem, and with 24 MPX I finally had the resolution I so much desired not to mention the sensors extra wide dynamic range which meant shooting in low and complicated lighting was way less of a challenge. However, shooting with such a wide angle for the first time posed its own unique set of problems. My instructor was right, a wide angle is not just a wider view on the world, it is an entirely different beast with its own set of operational habits!
This is the entrance to the famous Papal Palace in Avignon
At once a fortress and a palace, the papal residence in Avignon in southern France was the seat of Western Christianity during most of the 14th century. Due to a major war going on in Italy, in 1305, Pope Clement V who was French moved the Papal Court to Potiers and then in 1309 to Avignon where it remained for almost 70 years. Six papal conclaves were held in the Palais, leading to the elections of Benedict XII in 1334, Clement VI in 1342, Innocent VI n 1352, Urban V in 1362, Gregory XI in 1370 and the Antipope Benedict XIII in 1394.
Clement V did little more than live in a previous structure for the Bishop of Avignon which was already on the site but Benedict XII was ambitious and began construction of the Palace in earnest. It is on a natural rock outcrop along the River Rhone. The Palace is actually made up of two buildings: the old Palais of Benedict XII which sits on the impregnable rock of Doms, and the new Palais of Clement VI, the most extravagant of the Avignon popes. In its entirety the Palace was the largest Gothic building of the Middle Ages; it is considered to be one of the best examples of the International Gothic architectural style as you can perhaps see from this image.
It is truly a stunning structure and even as a Pagan I could not help but feel the sacred spiritual power of this site. I only had about 1.5 hours to get through it and I think I saw most of it either through my minds eye of the camera or through the lens itself. It was a bit of a whirlwind and I could hardly believe it was done when I stepped out a side door into a big premenad fronting the palace.
Comments (25)
adorety
Amazing! Stunning and imtimidating. Excellent shot. I love the range of contrast you get with the B&W and the resolution is truly film like. The tall pointed turrets, spikes and pointed arches are classic medieval gothic examples. Thanks for sharing the image and info.
chaylastorm
fantastic... love the history you write to go with the pictures.
MineFujiko
Cool Castle, Roxy-sensei!
3dpoetry
WOW, Inspirational photo.
SidheRoseGraphics
A beautiful looking image, Roxy! In spite of there being nothing black and white about Avignon and it's popes, it is somehow fitting that it is like this.
Faemike55
Fantastic capture Roxy and interesting story behind it
magnus073
What a sensational capture, Roxy. I very much enjoyed the detailed info you so generously provided.
eekdog
and you take some of the best shots ever Roxy, all are top notch shots for any leading magazine. no lie. love the info you provide..
RaykesPictures
Nice picture and fine info. Well done.
vaggabondd
wow what a great shot
62guy
Remember, this was while many of the faithful were starving.
renecyberdoc
Get Your Cyborg Name
Ash888
Awww this is a beautiful structure and a great shot too. I love the gothic style anyhow whith its delicate and high arches opposed to the more squat roman style preseeding it. And have people not always been inspired to do great art by their spirituality not matter what brand it was?
rhol_figament
Great image!
shingleboot
Very impressive image, well done
0rest4wicked
The chrome POV works so well with this!
Tracesl
great pic - excellent
photosynthesis
Black & white was an excellent choice & combined with the interesting POV, creates a very dramatic image. I have no connection to organized religion whatsoever, but I can appreciate the majesty of religious architecture like this...
mtdana
Wow - very dramatic !!! What I really like is how the vertical lines of the towers and arches form a perfect converging vanishing point. IMHO for this architectural shot you made the right choice allowing some distortion but keeping the lines straight. Also the backlighting really adds to the dramatic look of the image. A wide angle lens usually makes objects appear smaller – not so in this image. This makes me wonder what it was like actually being there!
FaeMoon
Wow, the scale of this place..must be huge! I love the detail captured from the architecture, and the black and white really lets those details come out. The history is as fascinating as the photo! Thank you again for sharing!
netot
Excellent details and pov. The 11 mm. enhance the sense of grandeur and opulence, and illustrates well the power of intimidation that had come from the castle in the days of the pontificate Great equipment to work on a trip of this kind. I am a follower of the telephoto, but I love the wide angle effect, especially in architecture.
RodS Online Now!
Another exceptional capture, Roxy! The tonal range here is truly amazing! I always enjoy your knowledge of history, my friend. If only it would have been this good in school...
JuliSonne
France has created great eras of architecture and art. This palace looks like a fortress. Great in b / w. Underlines the past! A earthly experience!
ysvry
great foto and story.
KylieA
The wide angle zooms are a real game changer. They especially offer a lot of new opportunities shots during travel photography. I started out using Canon's 17-35 on film body 15 years ago. I now shot the latest 16-35 on full frame 6D. Definitely takes more skill to compose the images well. Also with the low light and auto ISO of the 6D I have changed how I manage depth of field(aperture), speed, and ISO.