Villeneuve-lès-Avignon and the City of the Popes: only the Rhône separates the two; history indisputably links them.
Around 1000 AD, the Benedictine monks built the St André Abbey on Mount Andaon. The little market town of Saint André then became a fortress and a military outpost, under the influence of the king, Philippe Le Bel, who wanted to control access to the Rhône between Avignon and the Gard following annexation to the French crown. It soon became a pleasant village with luxurious residences, a fort, a monastery and lavish gardens.
