The. French Popes of Avignon
Avignon’s Papal Palace, both a powerful fortress and a magnificent palace, was the seat of the Christian world in the 14th century.
Nine Popes ruled from here. It was a French pope, Clement V, who first moved moved his residence from the Vatican to Avignon in 1309 after the powerful French king, Phillip IV, had fallen out with the papacy in Rome and forced a deadlocked conclave to elect the French cardinal as pope in 1305. A succession of French popes and cardinals built up a powerful base here, constructing a cornucopia of architectural treasures within the city’s massive fortifications.
Halls, courtyards , chambers and chapels can be found within the giant gothic complex. . The Old Palace was constructed by Pope Benedict X11 between 1334 and 1342 and the New Palace was begun by his successor Clement VI and completed in 1348.
Following pressure from the rest of Europe , the papal establishment finally transferred back to Rome in 1377.
However a group of French cardinals refused to accept this and elected a series of antipopes who over the next 40 years continue to exercise authority from Avignon, creating what is today known as the Great Schism.
