Workshop visit Palais des Papes Avignon: chimeras 2026

Avignon Tourisme invites families to the Palais des Papes for a workshop visit on medieval art, exploring shapes, colours and imaginary creatures. Children aged 6 and over can take part.

Four stages to read medieval sculpture, painting and stained glass

The tour looks at sculpture, painting and stained glass to show how medieval artists gave shape to the sacred, the marvellous and everyday life. It unfolds in four parts.

• Medieval sculpture: visitors study capitals, gargoyles and symbolic figures, then learn about the sculptor’s movements, tools and materials, and the messages hidden within the forms.
• The secrets of painting: the group explores medieval colours, from natural pigments and binders to fresco techniques. Reading the images reveals how artists told stories without words.
• The magic of stained glass: visitors admire the play of light, then find out what part stained glass played in architecture and how coloured glass was made.
• Fantastic creatures: dragons, griffins, mermaids, winged lions and other hybrid beings appear throughout medieval decoration. Participants spot them, then discuss what they symbolise, their protective or moral function, and how they left their mark on the collective imagination.

The “Fabrique ta chimère” workshop: modelling in clay

To extend the visit, each child makes a chimera of their own in the “Fabrique ta chimère” workshop. It has three steps.

• A look at a few medieval chimeras as models.
• Choosing the features that will make up the creature: wings, tails, claws, beaks, horns, scales…
• Modelling in clay.

The workshop has several educational aims: helping children grasp how freely medieval artists created, training the eye, imagination and fine motor skills, encouraging personal expression in an artistic setting, and linking heritage to contemporary creation in a concrete way.

Around 2 hours, from age 6, with many steps

The workshop visit lasts about 2 hours. It is not suitable for children under 6.

The €20 ticket covers one adult accompanied by one child, and each additional child pays a further €10. The price includes admission to the Palais des Papes, the visit and the workshop.

The Palais des Papes is not accessible to visitors with reduced mobility, as it has a large number of steps.