Place Voltaire

The Cathedral of Notre-Dame-et-Saint-Véran in Cavaillon is an ancient Roman Catholic cathedral. It was for several centuries the episcopal seat of the diocese of Cavaillon, now incorporated into the archdiocese of Avignon. It is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and to Saint Véran, bishop of Cavaillon and patron saint of shepherds. It is classified as a historical monument by the list of 1840. Still designated in 1174 under the simple name of Sainte-Marie, the cathedral bears from 1228 the double name of Beate Marie beatique Verani. The adoption of this double appellation is linked to the transfer to the cathedral of part of the body of Saint Véran buried in Fontaine-de-Vaucluse. The other part of the saint's body was transferred on July 3, 1321 by Bishop Pons de Lagnes (or Laneis) who feared that the armed bands that were devastating the region would seize the holy relics. The minutes of this ceremony bear the signature of Petrarch, who himself recounted it in the III Eglogue of his Bucolicum carmen through the mouth of Daphne.