Avignon
Rhône city, France
Avignon is a city in southeastern France, on the Rhône River.
It served as the seat of the Catholic papacy from 1309 to 1377, when seven successive popes resided there instead of Rome—a period sometimes called the Avignon Papacy or Babylonian Captivity.
The massive Palais des Papes still dominates the city.
We spent a week in Avignon exploring the old quarter.
Southeastern French region
- RhôneMajor southeastern French river
- lavenderFragrant herb, pale violet
- vineyardsLand cultivated for wine grapes
- Châteauneuf-du-PapeFrench appellation wine
terroir · UNESCO · heritage · tourism · bouillabaisse · rosé · olive oil · cicadas
Formal organizational fracture
- antipopeIllegitimate papal claimant
- conclavePrivate, secretive assembly
- pontificateSpeak in dogmatic manner
- ecclesiasticalRelating to church matters
Vatican · Petrarch · Catholicism · indulgence · simony · nepotism · canon law · theology
Protective fortress walls
- fortificationsDefensive barriers against attack
- troubadoursMedieval lyric poet-musicians
- RomanesqueRound-arched medieval building style
- cobblestoneRiver-smoothed paving stone
guilds · knights · crusades · minstrels · heraldry · tapestries · battlements · city walls
Venue for live drama
- performancesStaged artistic presentations
- summerYear's warmest season
- dramaTheatrical art or turmoil
- danceRhythmic bodily movement
spectacles · playwrights · troupes · premieres · stages · directors · costumes · audience
Provence
Southeastern French region
- RhôneMajor southeastern French river
- lavenderFragrant herb, pale violet
- vineyardsLand cultivated for wine grapes
Châteauneuf-du-Pape · terroir · UNESCO · heritage · tourism · bouillabaisse · rosé · olive oil · cicadas · plane trees
schism
Formal organizational fracture
- antipopeIllegitimate papal claimant
- conclavePrivate, secretive assembly
- pontificateSpeak in dogmatic manner
ecclesiastical · Vatican · Petrarch · Catholicism · indulgence · simony · nepotism · canon law · theology · doctrine
ramparts
Protective fortress walls
- fortificationsDefensive barriers against attack
- troubadoursMedieval lyric poet-musicians
- RomanesqueRound-arched medieval building style
cobblestone · guilds · knights · crusades · minstrels · heraldry · tapestries · battlements · city walls · towers
theater
Venue for live drama
- performancesStaged artistic presentations
- summerYear's warmest season
- dramaTheatrical art or turmoil
dance · spectacles · playwrights · troupes · premieres · stages · directors · costumes · audience · reviews
- European CitiesAmsterdam, Paris, Berlin, Brussels, Copenhagen
- FranceParis, Notre-Dame, Lyon, croissant, Toulouse
- French CitiesParis, Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux, Toulouse
- European PlacesFrance, Germany, Spain, Italy, London
- river citiesAmsterdam, Paris, London, Cairo, Vienna
- papacypontiff, Pope, pope, Holy See, papal election
AvignonRome
Italy's capital city
Vatican · Vatican City · St. Peter's Basilica · Constantinople