Papal Palace in Avignon

By: Adam Landon Hinnant

Babylonian Captivity

• The Avignon Papacy was the period from 1305 to 1378

• During this time the Bishop of Rome, the Pope, lived in Avignon rather than in Rome.

• The following Popes lived in Avignon:

• Pope Clement V: 1305–1314

• Pope John XXII: 1316–1334

• Pope Benedict XII: 1334–1342

• Pope Clement VI: 1342–1352

• Pope Innocent VI: 1352–1362

• Pope Urban V: 1362–1370

• Pope Gregory XI: 1370–1378

The History and Dismantling of the Avignon Papacy

1378: Gregory XI moved the home of the papacy back to Rome.

1378-1414: The Western Schism: an antipope was setup by a group of cardinals in which Catholics were divided between which pope should be in office

1414: The Avignon Papacy is dismantled by the Council of Constance

• One of the many Papal Palaces

• Built between 1335 and 1364

• Located at the northern edge of Avignon, overlooking the river Rhône.

• Built in two phases, the Palais Vieux (Old Palace) and Palais Neuf (New Palace).

• Occupies an area of 2.6 acres (11,000 m²).

Palais des Papes

The Champeux Gate

Under Popes Clement VI, Innocent VI and Urban V, the building was expanded to the Palais Neuf. Jean de Louvres was commissioned by Clement VI to build the Grand Chapel, 52 m, that was the location for worship. The interior contains frescos, tapestries, paintings, sculptures and wooden ceilings.1791: Scene of a massacre of counter-revolutionaries, whose bodies were thrown into the Tour des Latrines in the Palais Vieux.1906: Became a national museum.Currently: Open to public, holds a convention center and the archives of the department of Vaucluse.

Vive la France and God Bless America!

Sources

A History of Western Society (5th Edition)

McKay, Hill, Buckler

Houghton Mifflin Company

Boston 1995

www.wikipedia.org

www.aboutstyle.com.au/france/provence_1.htm

http://www.galenfrysinger.com/avignon.htm