Facing Avignon and its beautiful bridge, overlooking the rich Rhone valley, the town of Villeneuve lez Avignon, with its historical treasures and outstanding location, provides the ideal base for stays in Provence and Languedoc.
The roots of Villeneuve lez Avignon go back to the town of Saint André which grew up around Saint André Abbey (10th century) built atop Mont Andaon. King Philip the Fair decided to use the town of Saint André as a key base for the Languedoc and the Kingdom of France, and ordered the construction of a fortress to protect the access to the Pont dAvignon. The Avignon Bridge, known as the Pont Saint Bénezet ,provided the passageway between the Kingdom of France and the Empire.
Between 1293 and 1307 a citadel went up, today all that remains is the dungeon, called Philip the Fair Tower. In March 1293, King Philip the Fair created the town christened Villeneuve Saint André which later became Villeneuve lez Avignon. During the time of the papacy in Avignon (1309-1378), many Popes, Cardinals and other prelates from the pontifical court built convents, churches and fortified palaces (known as "Livrées"in Villeneuve lez Avignon. In 1333, Cardinal Arnaud de Via founded the church, Notre Dame Collegiate church (now the parish church) which housed the copy of the famous Pietà. In 1356, Cardinal Etienne Aubert, who became Pope under the name of Pope Innocent VI, founded the Charterhouse monastery the Chartreuse du Val de Bénédiction.