Avignon

Avignon was a Papal possession from 1309 until 1791.

Its position on the Rhone river made the city a trade and toll hub.

Many fortifications were built near Avignon.

The King of France built the Philipe-le-Bel Tower before the Pope moved to Avignon.

The Fort Saint Andre was built by Philip IV to keep an eye on Avignon.

The complex encompasses the Benedictine Abbey of Saint-Andre, which was there before the castle.

The French crown acquired the land near the Rhone after the Albigensian Crusade.

Some nice chats.

Avignon is one of the few French cities to still have its Medieval walls, built in 1357 during the Hundred Years' War.

The Hotel Des Monnaies across from the Palais des Papes has an impressive facade.

Construction on the Palais des Papes began in 1252 as the local bishop's castle.

Pope Clement V moved the Papal Curia to Avignon due to French cardinals serving as his base of support and unrest in Rome.

Pope Clement VI officially bought Avignon from Joanna I of Naples and Countess of Provence in 1348. The Count of Provence fell under the sway of the Kingdom of Burgundy, the Holy Roman Empire, the County of Barcelona, County of Toulouse, and the Kingdom of Naples before passing into French hands in 1486.

The Popes returned to Rome in 1377, but antipopes remained at Avignon until 1403.

The Palace remained in antipapal control until 1433, even without a designated antipope.

A dish fit for a Pope.

The chimney in the kitchen.

Avignon Cathedral, next to the Palace, was built in the 12th century.

Nice beard

The Avignon Popes are buried in the Cathedral.

Pope Benedict the XII

The paint has lasted surprisingly well.

A mood

Maintenance on the Pont Saint Benezet stopped in the 17th century because it collapsed whenever the Rhone flooded.

One side of the bridge was controlled by the Pope, the other by the French.

The Rhone, along with the Po and Nile rivers, discharge the most water into the Mediterranean Sea. 

I guess the hydra was the least of Hercules worries.

Waiting for the show

The Basilique Saint Pierre was built in 1358.

In 1791 the French National Assembly voted to annex Avignon and the Comtat Venaissin.

In the subsequent massacre of La Glaciere, a papiste mob lynched a patriot city administrator. In turn sixty papistes were killed.

Napoleon later invaded the Papal States and forced the Pope to recognize French control of Avignon in 1797.

Avignon is lit up at night.

It can surprise you when walking down side streets.

Always watching

The food is excellent in Avignon (of course). When you can't afford Chateauneuf-du-Pape, buy Cotes-du-Rhone Villages!