Avignon

From top: Skyline,
Rocher des Doms, Palais des Papes,
Avignon Cathedral, Festival d'Avignon,
Pont Saint-Bénézet

Coat of arms

Avignon

Location within Provence-A.-C.d'A. region

Avignon

Coordinates: 43°57′N 4°49′E / 43.95°N 4.81°ECoordinates: 43°57′N 4°49′E / 43.95°N 4.81°E

Country

France

Region

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

Capital of 4 Cantons

Grand Avignon

Government

• Mayor (2014—2020)

Cécile Helle (PS)

Area¹

64.78 km² (25.01 sq mi)

Population (2011)²

90,194

• Density

1,400/km² (3,600/sq mi)

Time zone

CET (GMT +1) (UTC+1)

• Summer (DST)

CEST (UTC+2)

INSEE/Postal code

84007 / 84000

Elevation

10–122 m (33–400 ft)
(avg. 23 m or 75 ft)

¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

²Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

UNESCO World Heritage Site
Historic Centre of Avignon: Papal Palace, Episcopal Ensemble and Avignon Bridge
Name as inscribed on the World Heritage List

Location	France
Type	Cultural
Criteria	i, ii, iv
Reference	228
UNESCO region	Europe and North America
Inscription history
Inscription	1995 (19th Session)

¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Avignon (French pronunciation: [a.vi.ɲɔ̃]; Latin: Avenio; Occitan: Avignoun, Occitan: Avinhon pronounced [aviˈɲun]) is a commune in south-eastern France in the department of Vaucluse on the left bank of the Rhône river. Of the 90,194 inhabitants of the city (as of 2011^[update]), about 12,000 live in the ancient town centre enclosed by its medieval ramparts.

Between 1309 and 1377, during the Avignon Papacy, seven successive popes resided in Avignon and in 1348 Pope Clement VI bought the town from Joanna I of Naples. Papal control persisted until 1791 when, during the French Revolution, it became part of France. The town is now the capital of the Vaucluse department and one of the few French cities to have preserved its ramparts.

The historic centre, which includes the Palais des Papes, the cathedral, and the Pont d'Avignon, became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995. The medieval monuments and the annual Festival d'Avignon have helped to make the town a major centre for tourism.

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Wikipedia