Eglise Notre-Dame de Venasque

The village of Venasque has been protected since ancient times by its unassailable position atop a steep rock. Venasque overlooks the old Roman road and is home to many treasures. The Romanesque Church houses a famous painting from the Avignon School (1498), a Crucifixion scene. This painting hung in the church for nearly 2 centuries, and then was taken down during Louis XIV's reign. In 1392, the priest, an art connoisseur, sent it to the Louvre for restoration. In 1937, the Louvre had taken it over and hung it in a prominent setting, with no intention of sending it back to the small village of Venasque. It took a petition signed by 700 artists and art lovers, sent to Edouard Daladier, the Mayor of Avignon, to enable the church to get its work of art back from the Louvre.