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AD Classics: Palais des Papes / Pierre Poisson & Jean de Louvres

While the Roman Catholic Church is synonymous with the Eternal City (and Italian capital), the greatest monument from its medieval heyday actually stands in southern France. The relic of the Papacy’s brief departure from Rome, the Palais des Papes (“Palace of the Popes”) in Avignon is the largest Gothic palace ever built. Constructed in two main phases by two of its residents, the Palais des Papes is a grandiose architectural expression of the wealth and power of the eleven popes who called Avignon their home and base of power.

AD Classics: Palais des Papes / Pierre Poisson & Jean de Louvres - Religious Buildings, Facade, Arcade, ArchAD Classics: Palais des Papes / Pierre Poisson & Jean de Louvres - Religious Buildings, Courtyard, Facade, Arch, ArcadeAD Classics: Palais des Papes / Pierre Poisson & Jean de Louvres - Religious Buildings, Facade, CityscapeAD Classics: Palais des Papes / Pierre Poisson & Jean de Louvres - Religious BuildingsAD Classics: Palais des Papes / Pierre Poisson & Jean de Louvres - More Images+ 14

Photographer Mirna Pavlovic Captures the Decaying Interiors of Grand European Villas

Architectural photographer Mirna Pavlovic has an obsession with abandoned places. For her, their appeal lies in their ability to exist on a different temporal plane from the rest of reality – both impossibly ancient and frozen in the present.

“They are never truly dead, yet never really alive,” Pavlovic explains. “Precariously treading along the border between life and death, decay and growth, the seen and the unseen, the past and the present, abandoned places confusingly encompass both at the same time, thus leaving the ordinary passer-by overwhelmed with both attraction and revulsion.”

For her latest series, Dulcis Domus, Pavlovic trekked over fences and past “no trespassing” signs to capture the once-glorious villas, palaces and castles of Europe that have now been left to decay, slowly returning to the Earth that existed before them. Through photography, Pavlovic attempts to highlight social issues through an aestheticised approach, allowing viewers to “see with fresh eyes what lies beneath those spots that we pass by on the street.”

Continue reading to see a selection of photographs from the series – hover over the images to see where each villa is located.