Luminescence spectra of Pr 3+ in 15 titanate and vanadate lattices have been measured under UV excitation. They are characterized by a dominant red luminescence assigned to transitions from the 1D 2 level to the ground state. The quenching of the otherwise prominent blue luminescence from 3P 0 state is ascribed to a relaxation pathway involving a low-lying Pr 3+–M n+ (M n+ = Ti 4+ or V 5+) intervalence charge transfer (IVCT) state. Complete quenching of the 3P 0 emission takes place when the IVCT bands are located in the 26 500–28 000 cm −1 range and the shortest Pr 3+–M n+ distances are in the 3.15–3.30 Å range.