Notre Dame des Doms

The cathedral of Notre Dame des Doms sits high on the Rocher des Doms, crowned by a massive, gilded lead statue of the Virgin Mary that catches the sun from miles away. While its Romanesque walls date back to the twelfth century, the church became a central power base when Avignon served as the seat of the papacy in the thirteen hundreds. Pope John the Twenty-Second lies buried inside, his elaborate Gothic tomb still occupying a prominent place near the entrance.