"A cardinal's gift of rest to Our Lady, enduring seven centuries in Avignon's countryside"
Church of Our Lady of Good Repos
Montfavet, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
In the village of Montfavet, outside Avignon, a Gothic church carries the name its cardinal founder chose in 1341: Notre-Dame de Bon Repos, Our Lady of Good Rest. Built during the Avignon Papacy as both monastery and burial place, the church preserves a 14th-century statue of the Virgin and figured corbels depicting human virtues and vices. Less touristed than Avignon's famous sites, it offers encounter with medieval devotion.
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Quick Facts
Location
Montfavet, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
Tradition
Site Type
Coordinates
43.9401, 4.8333
Last Updated
Jan 22, 2026
Notre-Dame de Bon Repos was founded in 1341 by Cardinal Bertrand de Montfavès during the Avignon Papacy. The cardinal died before seeing his church completed, but was buried before its altar. After centuries of occupation by various religious orders, the Revolution closed the monastery. Restored as a parish in 1840, the church was classified as a Historic Monument in 1908.
Origin Story
Cardinal Bertrand de Montfavès—born around 1270 in Castelnau-Montratier, apostolic protonotary and canon-count of Lyon—purchased the fief of Montfavet in 1341. He named it 'Notre-Dame de Bon Repos' and planned a monastery where he would be buried. But the cardinal died in late 1342 or early 1343, before the masons Bertrand and Pierre Folcoaud of Avignon had completed their work.
Construction continued for four years after the cardinal's death, finishing in 1347. His body was laid under a flagstone before the altar—a tomb that has since been lost. The church he never saw completed would stand for nearly seven centuries, carrying his name and his hope for rest.
Key Figures
Cardinal Bertrand de Montfavès
Bertrand de Montfavès
founder
French cardinal, born c. 1270, who purchased the Montfavet property in 1341 and founded the church as his burial place. He died in 1342/1343 before seeing the work completed, but was buried before the altar. The church carries his name to this day.
Bertrand and Pierre Folcoaud
builders
Master masons of Avignon who completed the church after the cardinal's death, finishing the work by 1347.
Pierre de Cohorn
notable burial
Swedish exile whose tomb from 1486 survives in a side chapel, with a funerary inscription recounting his 'unusual odyssey.' One of the few medieval graves that remains visible.
Spiritual Lineage
The monastery passed through several religious orders after the cardinal's death. Connected first to the Abbey of Saint-Ruf, then to the monastery of Aygueboune, it was transferred to the Œuvre du pont d'Avignon in 1452. Récollet friars arrived in 1613; Capuchins replaced them in 1759. The Revolution closed the monastery in 1794, expelling the religious and nationalizing the property. The church survived by finding new purpose. It became a chapel-annex of Saint-Agricol parish in 1807, then an independent parish of Montfavet in 1840. Classification as a Historic Monument in 1908 protected the building; additional elements were inscribed in 2017. Today diocesan priests serve what Cardinal Bertrand founded nearly seven centuries ago.
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