Avignon - the French Perspective

The story of the Papal Seat being moved to Avignon is well documented from the side of the church... today, we went across the river to look at the story from the French Perspective.

As you know, following the strife between Boniface VIII and Philip IV of France (Philip the Fair), a deadlocked conclave finally elected Clement V, a Frenchman, as Pope in 1305. Clement declined to move to Rome, remaining in France, and in 1309 moved his court to the papal enclave at Avignon, where it remained for the next 67 years. All of the Avignon Popes were born in France... just going to prove how 'fair' sweet Philip really was. Once the Avignon Popes brought their administration into order... and started the river of gold that came from religious monopoly... the church helped finance some of Philip's wars... you could say, the church and France had a good working relationship.

But Philip the Fair had political problems at home... to keep faith with his electorate, Philip had to be 'Fair but Firm'... a bit like Idi Amin used to say after another of his genocide escapades. As the walls of the Palace of the Popes went up one side of the Rhone... Philip put another layer of bricks on the Fort St Andre. He was helping the Avignon Popes build their Palace... but he had to show his citizens that he was protecting France's southern border. Philip's slogan was 'keep out the Popes'... slightly misinterpreted by Tony as 'keep out the Boats'... understandable mistake, Tony.

The presence of the fort provided a safe environment for a prosperous village to grow at its base... today called 'Villeneuve lez Avignon'. Most interesting was the 14th century church and monastery built by the nephew of Pope John XII... it survives in excellent condition... you can see the way the monks were organised into teams... records even show a management hierarchy. In the days when industry was typically based on a family workforce (cottage industry) this monastery must have been a productivity miracle. There were 21 teams... all accommodated behind closed doors... each with some 3 or 4 monks. Each team was given 3 rooms... one for sleeping... one for praying... and one for working. They were provided with food and equipment/materials necessary to produce their products. I suspect they worked more than the 40 hour week. We could learn what products they produced... undoubtedly, manuscripts would have been one product... probably religious icons would be another... all commanding a generous markup on the cost of production. The monastery grew to be very prosperous... and attracted good artisans into its ranks. The church was remodelled into a very elegant building. Its chapel has frescos of great quality. Pope Innocent VI liked the place so much, he asked to be buried there when he died in 1362. His request shows further evidence of the close relations between France and the Avignon Popes.

Villeneuve lez Avignon is a tourist attraction in its own right. The medieval town was built of high quality stone that absolutely glows in the summer sun. Still, Provence is full of villages with those credentials... each with their own peculiar history to tell. Tomorrow, we'll go out and visit a few more of them.