France

France_Map

 
For information and a larger map of the country, click on the map above.
 

Sites
 
Avignon

Avignon Bridge

Palace of the Popes

 

Marseille

Notre-Dame de lar Garde

Abbey of St Victor


Toulon

Toulon Cathedral


Paris
 
Eiffel Tower

Arc de Triomphe

Notre-Dame de Paris


Dôme des Invalides - Napoleon Bonaparte's Tomb



Rouen

Church of Saint Joan of Arc

Notre-Dame Cathedral


Corsica

Ajaccio

 
Maison Bonaparte, 
(Napoleon Bonaparte’s House)

Our Lady of the Assumption Cathedral
 

 
 
   France
 

Avignon

Bridge at Avignon

 
Avignon_BridgeThe Bridge at Avignon is known throughout the world due to the classic song "Sur le Pont d'Avignon". Built between 1177 and 1185 as a wooden bridge, it was for a long time the only bridge across the Rhône south of Lyon. Demolished after the fall of Avignon in 1226 by Louis VIII of France it was rebuilt as a stone bridge in 1234 but was completely abandoned in 1680. Today only four of the original 22 arches remain.  READ MORE
 


Palace of the Popes'

Palace_of_the_PopesThe Palace of the Popes in Avignon became the Papal residence between 1309 to 1377 when the Papal Curia moved there from Rome. Today it consists of two main buildings: The Old Palace, constructed in the Romanesque style by Benedict XII between 1334 and 1342, and the New Palace of Gothic design constructed by Clement VI between 1342 and 1352. It covers an area of 15,000 square meters and is one of Frances's most visited monuments.  READ MORE


 


 
Marseille

Notre-Dame de la Garde


The Catholic Basilica built in 1852 on the foundations of a 16th-century fort situated on a hill overlooking Marseille. With its crypt hewn out of the rock the basilica with its 11.2 meter high statue of the Madonna and Child made of copper and gilded with gold leaf on the top of its Bell Tower, is the most-visited site in Marseille.  READ MORE 
 
 
 

 
Abbey of Saint Victor
 

The Abbey of Saint Victor, Marseille was built in the 11th and 14th centuries and stands over an earlier crypt that houses early Christian sarcophagi. Between 11th and 18th centuries the abbey played an important role in Christianity’s development in the Mediterranean. READ MORE
 


Paris


Eiffel Tower


 

The Eiffel Tower is an iconic symbol of Paris, France, that was designed by Gustave Eiffel and built between 1887 and 1889 for the 1889 World's Fair.  Made of puddle iron with 18,038 metal components held together with 2.5 million rivets. It stands 330 meters (1,083 feet) tall and has three floors with restaurants, exhibits, and a champagne bar at the summit.  It receives over 5.8 million visitors annually, making it one of the world’s most popular landmarks. READ MORE



 

Arc de Triomphe

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The Arc de Triomphe is an iconic monument in Paris, commissioned by Napoleon I in 1806 to honour the victories of the French army. Completed in 1836, it stands 50 meters (164 feet) high and features intricate sculptures and engravings celebrating key moments in French history. Beneath its vault lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, with an eternal flame that burns in remembrance of fallen soldiers.   READ MORE


 


Notre-Dame de Paris

 
Built between 1163 and 1345 on Île de la Cité in Paris. Notre-Dame de Paris is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and is one of the most iconic cathedrals in the world. A masterpiece of French Gothic architecture, it features flying buttresses, ribbed vaults, and rose windows.  It is also known for its three intricately sculpted entrances depicting biblical scenes and its twin Towers which rise 69 meters (226 feet) and dominate the western façade. The cathedral suffered severe damage in the 2019 fire, prompting an extensive restoration effort which was mainly completed in 2024.  READ MORE

 

Dôme des Invalides - Napoleon Bonaparte's Tomb

The Dôme des Invalides is a monumental Baroque structure in Paris, originally commissioned by Louis XIV as part of the Hôtel des Invalides, a complex for wounded soldiers. Designed by Jules Hardouin-Mansart and completed in 1706, the dome is crowned in gold and stands as one of the tallest church buildings in Paris.  Over time, it evolved from a royal chapel into a national military shrine, most famously housing the tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte. Its design blends classical symmetry, Renaissance inspiration, and Baroque grandeur, making it both a religious space and a powerful symbol of French military history. READ MORE
 

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Rouen
 

Church of Saint Joan of Arc


 
The Church of Saint Joan of Arc in Rouen is a modern Catholic church, completed in 1979, which is in Place du Vieux-Marché, the site of Joan of Arc’s execution in 1431. Designed by Louis Arretche, its sweeping curves evoke flames and an overturned longship, symbolizing Joan’s martyrdom and Christian heritage. The church incorporates stained glass windows salvaged from the 16th-century Church of Saint Vincent, before its destruction in World War II.  READ MORE




Notre-Dame Cathedral

 
Notre-Dame Cathedral of Rouen has been a centre of faith, art, and history for over 800 years. An original church on the site dated to the 4th century; with a major  Gothic reconstruction beginning in 1145.  Severely damaged by fire in 1200, it underwent a major Gothic rebuild, including the nave and choir.  It again suffered damage requiring extensive restorations during the Wars of Religion and during WWII.  From 1876 to 1880, due to its 151-meter cast-iron spire, it was the Tallest Building in the World, until it was surpassed by the Cologne Cathedral. Its Interior includes a majestic choir, high altar, more than 15 side chapels, and a stone ambulatory lined with statues and tombs, including the tomb containing the heart of King Richard the Lionheart.  It is also famous for its Booksellers’ Staircase, a 15th-century spiral staircase of carved stone, linking the cathedral to its historic library.  READ MORE


 

Toulon

Toulon Cathedral

 
Located in the centre of the old town near the waterfront of Toulon, construction on the Cathedral, known as the Cathedral Notre-Dame-de-la-Seds, started in 1096 on the orders of Gilbert de Boson, Count of Provence to offer thanks to the Virgin for his safe return from the Crusades. Built on the site of a former church which was on the site since the 5th century, the cathedral took 700 years to build and consists of a mixture of styles including Romanesque, Gothic and Classical. READ MORE
 



 
Corsica

Ajaccio



Maison Bonaparte
(Napoleon Bonaparte’s House)






 
Maison Bonaparte is the house where Napoleon Bonaparte was born and was in the Bonaparte family from 1682 until 1923.  In 1967 it became a national museum displaying not only the rooms and furnishings but also artifacts relating to the Bonaparte family. READ MORE








 



Our Lady of the Assumption Cathedral


 
Our Lady of the Assumption Cathedral was built between 1577 and 1593 and is an example of   Counter-Reformation architecture. Known for its connection to the Bonaparte family, it contains the marble Baptismal font in which Napoleon was baptised on 21 July 1771, and the altar given by Napoleon’s sister Elisa in 1809.  READ MORE

 

 

              All  Photographs were taken by and are copyright of Ron Gatepain

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