Avignon: History

Pre-20th-Century History

The name Avignon is derived from the Roman name Avenio , meaning 'town of violent winds' or 'town of the river' - the former being less likely to have graced papyrus pamphlets as a welcoming slogan for passing trade. Before the area gained this name, it was home to, in turn, a troglodyte settlement in the Rocher des Dames outcrop, a Neolithic population, and a Celtic-Ligurian river port called Cavares . After these incarnations the Romans reigned supreme and the city of Avignon flourished. (Gallia Narbonensis was the name for the Provence region of the Roman Empire.)

Avignon's history for three centuries after the fall of the Empire in the 5th century is one of invasion, devastation and renewal. Chronologically, it belonged to: Goths, Burgundy and Arles kingdoms, Ostrogoths, the Austrasian Frankish-Merovingian kings and the Saracens. While under Saracen control, it was destroyed by the Franks after the Saracens made an ill-fated alliance with the Arabs.

While under German control in the 11th and 12th centuries, the people of Avignon edged towards becoming a republic. The city declared independence at the end of the 12th century, but stumbled when King Louis VIII of France undertook a three-month siege against the city. By the end of the 13th century, the city had been brought under the united French crown.

It was in the 14th century that Avignon really came to be the beautiful city of today. Pope Clement V chose, in 1309, to make the city his residence while Sicilian kings ruled the region. The exiled papacy established ramparts and built the fortified Palais de Papes (Palace of the Popes). Artists, architects and builders flocked to the town. Cash promptly followed. The flurry of activity bestowed the city with more than 100 religious buildings, many of which have been subsequently converted for more secular purposes. The wealthy religious hangers-on built palatial houses nearby and in the city. But the Avignon Papacy came to be known for more venal pursuits - around 1350, the poet Petrarch wrote with disgust of the city's corruption: 'instead of soberness, licentious banquets; instead of pious pilgrimages, preternatural and foul sloth'.

This reputation forced the papacy back to Rome in 1378. Tumult followed: a schism developed in the Catholic Church, later dubbed the 'Western Schism'. It saw an ongoing tussle between the Roman and Avignon groups. During this time, several 'antipopes' resided in Avignon. (An 'antipope' is something like an antichrist - a popular but unofficially recognised replacement for the sanctioned thing - only with a better hat and more brimstone: there was, at one stage during the schism, three popes.) The controversy was resolved in 1417 and from then until the French Revolution, the town was a Pontifical State, as the Vatican City is today.

Modern History

After the exit of the papacy, the town lost some of its self-important lustre (the most significant events in the 19th century involved the installation of gas lamps, a sewerage system and public fountains), but the buildings and the legacy remained. Avignon's 19th-century anonymity drifted into the 20th century, during which time its historic ambience and rich architecture drew in artists and other culture-vultures. This culminated in 1947 when theatre director Jean Vilar was invited to stage a performance at Cour d'Honneur in the Palais de Papes. He ended up staging three - Shakespeare's Richard II , Claudel's Tobie et Sara ( Toby and Sarah ), and Maurice Clavel's La Terrasse de Midi ( The Midday Terrace ) - and single-handedly initiated the great Festival d'Avignon. It's still running today and offers challenging new works and trusty faves in theatre, music and performance to over 100,000 eager patrons. This no doubt helped the city gain its place as a 'European Capital of Culture' in 2000. It has also aided the city's strong tourist industry.

The town was targeted in both WWI and WWII. Around 1200 residents were killed during WWI raids. WWII saw the city occupied by the German army for two years and some of its bridges were targeted in attempts to close down traffic over the Rhône. In 1944, French and American troops liberated the city. Around 450 citizens had been killed and 1200 injured by the end of the war.

Recent History

The designation as a 'European City of Culture' in 2000 gave a name to something people had already recognised in Avignon - its high standing in French (and European) cultural pursuits. Its festival is still vibrant and the gilt lining of art bestowed by the papal reign gives the city a wide stretch of artistic history; it draws visitors interested in historical and contemporary works.

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