We spent a whole day in Avignon and were completely amazed by the medieval atmosphere of the old town. The highlight of our city tour was undoubtedly the Papal Palace, which dominates the square with its monumental dimensions, and of course the famous Pont d’Avignon.
The papacy moved to Avignon in 1309 and remained its seat until 1377, which history books also call the “Avignon captivity of the popes”. It all started when Pope Clement V, under pressure from the French king Philip the Fair – and fleeing the chaotic political conditions prevailing in Rome – moved his seat here. A total of seven French popes ruled from here, and this period made Avignon one of the richest and most important centers of the Christian world.
There is also a completely amazing story connected to this period, when the tension between the French royal power and the church reached its peak. Although the election of popes (the conclave) was usually held behind closed doors, there is a famous case where the cardinals could not reach a decision on the question of succession. According to legend, when the future Pope John XXII was elected, the French crown ran out of patience and the cardinals were simply locked up in a Dominican monastery, and according to some sources, the exits were even walled up and they were not allowed out until a decision was made. This radical “method” finally brought results after two years of vacancy.
However, the history of Avignon began long before the popes. People had already lived here in the Neolithic era on the Rocher des Doms, a strategic point above the Rhône River. Later, the Phoenicians and Romans also recognized the importance of the place; in Roman times it was an important Gallic settlement called Avennio. After the fall of the empire, the city changed hands several times, sometimes by the Goths, sometimes by the Franks, and even for a short time by the Saracens, before becoming a thriving trading city in the Middle Ages.
The city’s golden age was clearly the 14th century. When the papal court moved here, Avignon quickly grew from a dusty small town into the cultural and political center of Europe. It was then that the huge Palais des Papes (Palace of the Popes), which was both an impregnable fortress and a luxurious palace, was built. The city walls were also strengthened at this time to protect the manor and its immense wealth from the mercenary bands that raided the area.
After the papacy returned to Rome, Avignon did not immediately become part of France, but remained a papal enclave (a territory with special legal status) on French soil until 1791, during the French Revolution. This status ensured the city’s special freedom and ecclesiastical character for centuries. After the revolution, however, the city was officially annexed to France, and although the ecclesiastical splendor was worn down, the buildings fortunately remained intact.
During the 19th and 20th centuries, Avignon modernized, but it still retained its proud historical identity. Within the city walls, the medieval street structure remained, which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In the 19th century, the railway was built, connecting the city with Lyon and Marseille, helping to develop the economy, while the city gradually became a stronghold of the arts and education.
Today, Avignon is best known for its annual theater festival and its unparalleled monuments. No longer the place of “prison” of the popes, the city is a destination for tourists from all over the world, who walk along the banks of the Rhône to try to imagine what life must have been like when this walled city was the heart of Western Christianity. And that particular half-bridge still stands in the river today, as a special piece of the past that remains as a memento.
