Cavaillon

About

The fertile lands surrounding this ancient city have been used for thousands of years, starting with the Cavares tribe, who made wine on Saint-Jacques hill as early as the 5th century BC. For centuries the city was part of the Comtat Venaissin papal enclave, and welcomed Jewish people into the community after they were expelled from much of France by Louis IX. The Cavaillon synagogue, the oldest in France, was erected in the 15th century, and has an exquisite rococo interior from the 1700s, filled with refined gilded stucco and wrought iron banisters. Downstairs is a space reserved for women with ovens for baking matzo bread. The city’s cathedral dates from the 12th century, but features a variety of architectural styles. Its choir, nave and side chapels were decorated with multicoloured marble and gilded woodwork in the 1600s. The gorgeous cloister has sections from the 12, 13th and 16th centuries.