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Laure and Petrarch in love still haunt the Cordeliers in Avignon

The convent | Sinuhe20 / CC-BY-SA
Love story Convent Petrarch Cordeliers convent in Avignon

Laure and Petrarch

This is the vestige of the old and beautiful convent raised by Cordeliers brothers in 1233... the chapel and the bell-tower are still standing.

And yet, here, the tender Laure, poet Petrarch's true love, was buried in the convent chapel.

Laure de Noves was born in Avignon in 1310, daughter of Audibert de Noves and Ermessende de Réal. She married Hugues de Sade in 1325... the famous marquis ancestor!

One fine morning of April 6th 1327, Petrarch saw her for the first time, in front of Sainte-Claire church, in Avignon. The famous Italian poet came in Avignon when he was a kid, with his family. He quickly fell in love with Laure and decided she would be his muse. He was 23 years-old, she was 17.

But Laure was a married woman... Madly in love with her, obsessed, he wrote the Canzoniere ("The Songwriter"), between Avignon and Fontaine-de-Vaucluse: to celebrate her beauty, her nobility... He was waiting for her, he was happy if he could see her, just for a second!

Laure’s grave

But Laure died of plague at the age of 40 years old, in 1348. She left 11 children and a husband. Petrarch would survive 26 years...

In 1533, they rediscovered Laure’s grave: they found her last remains and a small box: inside, a scroll with an Italian poem... oh, a poem written by Petrarch?? Probably! The grave was destroyed during the Revolution...

About the the author

Vinaigrette
I'm fond of strolls and History, with juicy and spicy details!