Avignon with an Actor Guide. Pope Joan: Fact or Fantasy?

Learn all about the legends of Popess Joan - could she have really existed? Hear the evidence for a female pope and judge for yourself within the very walls of Avignon’s papal palace.

Admire the flawless profiles and gothic details of Avignon’s Palace of the Popes, all blond stone and arches, as you listen to the names of these heirs to Saint Peter:  Urban and Clement and Innocent and….Joan? Surely the guide meant to say “John!” How in heaven’s name could there ever be a female pope? How would society at the time have allowed a woman that kind of intellectual training or theological expertise? How could she have managed to infiltrate the man’s world of bishops and cardinals to be elected to the papal throne? 
Yet the legend has come down through the centuries that there was a Joan who braved scandal and fooled everyone to become the greatest pontiff of all Christendom. A feminist fantasy? Or a scuttled truth? You decide, as your guide presents you with the evidence, the for and the against, by turns playing the devil’s advocate or again Joan the Popess’s confidant. You will be judge and jury to the truth of these long-lived tales: did Pope Joan exist or not?
All this in charming Avignon, where the whole medieval papal court fled the anti-popes and violence of Rome for the more peaceful beauty of Provence. The Princes of the Church chose well and with taste, you’ll observe, privy to the breathtaking Palace of the Popes, a UNESCO world heritage monument. Learn about the daily lives of the highest ranking members of the clergy, their untold power and influence, thus luxury and splendor. You will hear too about the flipside of existence as Vatican refugees, their fears and failures during their years of French exile, far from their Roman homeland.
The tour will conclude as your guide gathers you in the Grand Tribunal, with your pronouncement on whether Joan lived and reigned,crowned with the papal tiara or whether it is a mass of medieval tall tales to titillate the masses. What will you say of her once you return home?

Cancellation Policy: standard

Cancellation Cutoff: 24 hours

Cancellation Notes: For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.

Avignon 2024