The Bishop's Palace

A tufa tower constitutes the remains of the medieval bishop’s palace, a tower that first had a defensive role. It is connected by three pink-limestone bays to a quadrangular building in white limestone, which houses the palace itself, as well as a chapel. The entire structure was most likely built in the last quarter of the 13th century or in the 14th century.

The tower is believed to date from the early 13th century. It was entered via the first floor by means of a removable ladder. The building has five levels: It lost its defensive crown, but we can recreate a deck of wooden slabs secured in the evenly spaced putlog holes at its top.

The bishop’s palace consists of two long blocks of buildings parallel to the cathedral and articulated around an 18th-century staircase.
The current building has two entrances: a main entrance to the south, passing under the arch between the cathedral and the palace, and an entrance to the northwest, below the tower, after the courtyard. This space is secured by a large gate bearing the city’s coat of arms and shelters a 19th-century wall fountain featuring an allegory of the city, the capital of perfume.

The synod hall (which was the assembly hall for the diocese and now hosts the city council) is set above the tinel (the bishop’s dining room). It is lit to the north by double and triple bays. The south wall has lancet windows to let in the light. The substantial attention given these openings attests to this room’s importance within the bishop’s palace.

The bishop’s chapel (now the city’s wedding chapel) can easily be distinguished from the outside, as this building is the most decorated of the episcopal group. The corbels of the small arches that run along the roof are all sculpted, bearing animal and human figures – and even the bishop himself! The chapel could be entered from either the west side or from the east through a door that used to access a wooden gallery, but now leads into empty space.

These three tufa walls rest against the palace, blocking a lancet window. The chapel is vaulted with ridges supported by heavy limestone ribs curving down onto small, slender columns. This small building could be seen from the outside at the time of its construction, as evidenced by the west gable that can now be perceived when entering the offices on the top floor.