Avignon was not part of France in 1309 when the French king (Phillip IV) brought Pope Clement V (a Frenchman) from Rome to Avignon. Avignon was in fact part of the Holy Roman Empire, the rule of which was conflicted between the Popes and the Holy Roman Emperor. However, because Avignon was so close to France the French king had a lot of influence over the city. The Holy Roman Emperor was also in a power struggle with the French kings, and this is where the location of the Popes becomes part of that power struggle.
The Popes stayed at Avignon for 70 years, even though there were Popes in Rome. If I recall correctly, at one point there were 3 declared Popes at the same time - clearly a popular job. The Papal palace is more like a fortress as can be seen in the photos below. It is a Unesco World Heritage Site, and the world's largest Gothic palace. It was expanded upon several times as new Popes took power.
Extensive restorations have occurred since the 1900s, but the buildings were allowed to deteriorate when the Popes left in the 14th century. Since the Revolution, the buildings were used as a barracks and stables. This had a severe impact on the buildings. Currently, the interior is somewhat unfinished with very little in the way of furniture or wall finishings being in place. There is no mistaking the grandeur of a number of the interior rooms.
Above, the palace taken from across the Rhone River.
The beautiful and tight streets of the old city of Avignon.
You may notice that this bridge ends part way across the Rhone River. This is the famous Pont St-Benezet. First built in 1185 as an import trade link across the Rhone, the bridge was rebuilt several times until most of it fell down in the mid-1600s. It is probably most famous for the child's song 'Sur le pont d'Avignon', where it talks about people dancing on the bridge - as tourists do to this day.
No comments:
Post a Comment