The name Avignon dates back to about the 6th century B.C. The town, population 90,000, is at the center of a metropolitan area that has a population of 450,000. The photos below, which I took in Sept. 2001, are of the palais des papes there. In 1309, the pope made Avignon a papal residence. The pope who followed declared Avignon to be the center of Christendom. The official Avignon papacy ended in 1377, when the pope returned to Rome. Still, for 40 more years, with turmoil in Rome and and because of turmoil in Rome and the claims several pretenders to the papacy, the pope returned to Avignon and the papacy stayed there until 1418.
In all, seven different popes reigned in Avignon, all of them French.
The papal palace in Avignon was built in the first half of the 1300s. That's also when the 100 years' war between France and England began.
Sur le pont d’Avignon,
ReplyDeleteOn y danse, on y danse,
Sur le pont d’Avignon,
On y danse tous en rond.
You beat me to it! This is exactly what was going through my head as I read this post.
DeleteTrès bonnes photos du Palais des Papes!
ReplyDeleteCould photo #4 be a depiction of Tarasque a fabulous creature that used to live between Tarascon and Avignon?
ReplyDeleteIt’s quite a fortress, not a datcha!
ReplyDelete