A church by the name of Saint-Pierre existed in Avignon already in the 7th century. The collegiate church was founded in 1358 with the construction of the canons' building and the cloister, the apse and the belltower. Side chapels were added in the 15th century, and the nave enlarged. Outstanding carved wooden doors with decors from the late Renaissance period. Several sculpted works inside, and paintings by Simon de Châlons, Parrocel and Nicolas Mignard. Relics of Blessed Pierre de Luxembourg.
The Jan Hus Memorial stands at one end of Old Town Square. The huge monument depicts victorious Hussite warriors and Protestants who were forced into exile 200 years after Hus, and a young mother who symbolises national rebirth. The monument was so large that the sculptor designed and built his own villa and studio where the work could be carried out. It was unveiled in 1915 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Jan Hus' martyrdom. The memorial was designed by Ladislav Šaloun and paid for solely by public donations.
Born in 1369, Hus became an influential religious thinker, philosopher, and reformer in Prague. He was a key predecessor to the Protestant movement of the sixteenth century. In his works he criticized religious moral decay of the Catholic Church. Accordingly, the Czech patriot Hus believed that mass should be given in the vernacular, or local language, rather than in Latin. He was inspired by the teachings of John Wycliffe.