Palais du Roure (Roure Palace), Avignon

The Roure Palace (Palais du Roure), also known as Baroncelli-Javon Hotel, is a historic private mansion in Avignon, now functioning as a museum. Built in the 15th century, the mansion was established by Pierre Baroncelli, a Ghibelline from Florence, who purchased a tavern named The Mulberry Tavern (La Taverne du Mûrier) and neighboring houses in 1469. Connected to Julian della Rovere, later Pope Julius II, the Baroncelli family rose to prominence in Avignon.

In the 19th century, the mansion, then known as the Baroncelli-Javon Hotel, was renamed Roure Palace—“palace of the oak”—by the renowned poet Frédéric Mistral, who frequented the site. It was then owned by Marquis Folco de Baroncelli-Javon and became a hub for the Felibrige, a movement dedicated to preserving the Provençal language and culture.

Following a period of decline and damage in the early 20th century, Jeanne de Flandreysy purchased and restored the palace in 1918, transforming it into a center for Mediterranean culture. In 1936, Jeanne married Commander Émile Espérandieu, an archaeologist whose collections further enriched the institution. The city of Avignon inherited the palace in 1944, along with the Flandreysy-Espérandieu Foundation established in 1936.

Today, the Roure Palace is a museum dedicated to popular arts and traditions, focusing on Provençal and Mediterranean culture, history, and literature. It also serves as an ethnological, Provençal, and archaeological documentation center, featuring an extensive collection of bells amassed by Jeanne de Flandreysy. The palace has been classified as a historic monument since November 19, 1941, and continues to celebrate the rich heritage of Provence and the broader Mediterranean region.