Avignon - the new Rome of the 14th century

Don Milo who now shares this blog with me has asked me to write an excerpt from his forthcoming book, A concise history of the Papacy. I have decided to add one of his chapters on Avignon, the new Rome of the 14th century. I find his work fascinating and since both of us have traveled to Avignon on different occasions; I thought it would be interesting to our readers.

 
The Avignon period of the papacy began in 1305 until 1378, named after this mediaeval town in the south of France. Pope Clement, pictured here, was literally kidnapped by King Phillip of France and placed in this area. He thought Avignon would be a temporary residence and would return to the Eternal City. However, when the pope got settled there; it was not that easy to get back to Rome. Avignon became a haven for the popes for this period because of social and political tensions in Italy. Several popes after Clement were actually French; so, it was not so difficult to convince them to stay in France. Thus, the popes increasingly became dependent on the good services of the French monarchs. In exile, so to speak, the Avignon popes made a great effort to restore the relevancy of the papacy by reorganizing Church administration, uprooting corruption and appointing worthy men to leading positions. Unfortunately, the plague, known as the Black Death, interrupted or completely undid their work. Thousands of people died. The popes there instituted a system of taxation that became a model for others. Avignon was able to survive well with the finances achieved through taxation. The popes built a huge palace known for its artistic beauty that dominated the French landscape, even today. The court employed a lot of servants providing job opportunities for the locals. Avignon became a magnet for artists, artisans, chefs from all over Europe and was considered the most sophisticated court in Europe. Its history is interesting and worth a trip on your next travel adventure.

Avignon, southern France