Cour d'honneur
of the Popes Palace

It was in the Cour d'Honneur of the Palais des papes (Popes' Palace) that Festival d'Avignon began in 1947, with William Shakespeare's tragedy Richard II, directed by Jean Vilar. It has long remained the main venue of the Festival. It is only from the mid-1960s that new venues were opened. These new locations, often historical and seldom dedicated to the performing arts, make for surprising and original theatrical venues, giving the city-theatre of Avignon its personality each summer. If the Festival opens each year news venues responding to the needs of the artists, the Cour d'Honneur of the Palais des papes remains its legendary venue. An open-air theatre, for an audience of 2,000 people gathered in the Provencal night, at the heart of a monument on UNESCO's World Heritage List.

address
place du Palais des papes, Avignon (within the city walls)

numbered seats