Avignon

2021-12-27T19:56:06Z

93.24.24.154:

{{For|the regional county municipality in Quebec|Avignon Regional County Municipality}}
{{Short description|Prefecture of Vaucluse, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox French commune
|name = Avignon
|native name = {{resize|80%|{{native name|oc|Avinhon}}}}
|commune status = [[Prefectures in France|Prefecture]] and [[Communes of France|commune]]
|image = {{Photomontage|position=center
| photo1a = Vue aérienne 2 JP Campomar.jpg
| photo2a = Park beim Papstpalast in Avignon01 (cropped).jpg
| photo2b = Avignon, Palais des Papes depuis Tour Philippe le Bel by JM Rosier (cropped).jpg
| photo4a = Cathédrale Notre-Dame des Doms d'Avignon sous l'orage.jpg
| photo4b = Avignon festival 2006 asobu popes palace.jpg
| photo3a = Le Pont d'Avignon (cropped).jpg
| size = 280
| spacing = 2
| color =
| border = 0
| foot_montage = {{nobreak|From top: skyline,}} Rocher des Doms, [[Palais des Papes]], [[Pont Saint-Bénézet]], [[Avignon Cathedral]], [[Festival d'Avignon]]
}}
|image coat of arms = Grandes Armes d'Avignon.svg
|coordinates = {{coord|43|57|00|N|04|48|27|E|display=inline,title}}
|arrondissement = Avignon
|canton = [[Canton of Avignon-1|Avignon-1]], [[Canton of Avignon-2|Avignon-2]], [[Canton of Avignon-3|Avignon-3]]
|INSEE = 84007
|postal code = 84000
|mayor = Cécile Helle<ref>{{cite web|title=Répertoire national des élus: les maires|url=https://www.data.gouv.fr/fr/datasets/r/2876a346-d50c-4911-934e-19ee07b0e503|website=data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises|date=2 December 2020|access-date=12 December 2020|language=fr}}</ref>
|term = 2020–2026
|party = [[Socialist Party (France)|PS]]
|intercommunality = [[Communauté d'agglomération du Grand Avignon|CA Grand Avignon]]
|elevation m = 23
|elevation min m = 10
|elevation max m = 122
|area km2 = 64.78
|population = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_total}}
|population date = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_as_of}}
|population footnotes = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_footnotes}}
| footnotes =
{{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site
|child=yes
|Official_name=Historic Centre of Avignon: [[Palais des Papes|Papal Palace]], Episcopal Ensemble and [[Pont Saint-Bénézet|Avignon Bridge]]
|Criteria=Cultural: i, ii, iv
|ID=228
|Year=1995
|Area=8.2 ha
}}
}}
'''Avignon''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|æ|v|ɪ|n|j|ɒ̃}}, {{IPAc-en|also|US|ˌ|æ|v|ɪ|n|ˈ|j|oʊ|n}};<ref>{{cite LPD|3}}; {{cite EPD|18}}; [https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/us/Avignon "Avignon"] (US) and {{Cite Oxford Dictionaries|Avignon|accessdate=16 May 2019}}</ref> {{IPA-fr|aviɲɔ̃|lang|fr-Avignon.ogg}}; {{lang-oc|Avinhon|label=[[Provençal dialect|Provençal]]}} {{small|(Classical norm)}} or {{lang|oc|Avignoun}} {{small|([[Mistralian norm]])}}, {{IPA-oc|aviˈɲun|IPA}}; {{lang-la|Avenio}}) is the [[Prefectures in France|prefecture]] of the [[Vaucluse]] [[Departments of France|department]] in the [[Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur]] [[Regions of France|region]] of Southeastern France. Located on the left bank of the river [[Rhône]], the [[Communes of France|commune]] had a population of 93,671 as of the census results of 2017, with about 16,000 (estimate from Avignon's municipal services) living in the ancient town centre enclosed by its [[Walls of Avignon| medieval walls]].

Between 1309 and 1377, during the [[Avignon Papacy]], seven successive [[pope]]s 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 city walls.

The historic centre—which includes the [[Palais des Papes]], [[Avignon Cathedral|the cathedral]], and the [[Pont Saint-Bénézet|Pont d'Avignon]]—became a [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]] in 1995 because of its architecture and importance during the 14th and 15th centuries.<ref name = "unesco">{{cite web |url = https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/228 |title = Historic Centre of Avignon: Papal Palace, Episcopal Ensemble and Avignon Bridge |website = UNESCO World Heritage Centre |publisher = United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization |access-date = 20 October 2021}}</ref> The medieval monuments and the annual [[Festival d'Avignon]] have helped to make the town a major centre for tourism.

== Toponymy ==
The earliest forms of the name were reported by the Greeks:{{sfn|Rostaing|1994|p=30}} {{lang|grc|Аὐενιὼν}} ''Aueniṑn'' (Stephen of Byzantium, Strabo, IV, 1, 11) and {{lang|grc|Άουεννίων}} ''Aouenníōn'' (Ptolemy II, x).

The Roman name ''Avennĭo Cavărum'' (Mela, II, 575, Pliny III, 36), i.e. "Avignon of Cavares", accurately shows that Avignon was one of the three cities of the Celtic-Ligurian tribe of [[Cavares]], along with [[Cavaillon]] and [[Orange, Vaucluse|Orange]].

The current name dates to a pre-Indo-European{{sfn|Rostaing|1994|p=30}} or pre-Latin{{sfn|Dauzat|Rostaing|1963|p=1689}} theme ''ab-ên'' with the suffix ''-i-ōn(e)''.{{sfn|Rostaing|1994|p=30}}{{sfn|Dauzat|Rostaing|1963|p=1689}} This theme would be a [[hydronym]] – i.e. a name linked to the river (Rhône), but perhaps also an oronym of terrain (the ''Rocher des Doms'').

The ''Auenion'' of the 1st century BC was Latinized to ''Avennĭo'' (or ''Avēnĭo''), ''-ōnis'' in the 1st century and is written ''Avinhon'' in classic [[Occitan]] spelling<ref>{{cite book|author=Robert Bourret|title=French-Occitan Dictionary|publisher=Éd. Lacour|location=Nîmes|year=1999|page=59|language=fr,oc}}</ref> or ''Avignoun'' in [[Mistralian norm|Mistralian spelling]].{{sfn|Xavier de Fourvière|Rupert|1902|p=[https://archive.org/stream/loupichottresord00xaviuoft#page/n88/mode/1up 62]}} The inhabitants of the commune are called ''avinhonencs'' or ''avignounen'' in both standard Occitan and [[Provençal dialect]].

== History ==
{{main|History of Avignon|Timeline of Avignon}}

== Geography ==
Avignon is on the left bank of the [[Rhône]] river, a few kilometres above its confluence with the [[Durance]], about {{convert|580|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} south-east of Paris, {{convert|229|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} south of [[Lyon]] and {{convert|85|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} north-north-west of [[Marseille]]. On the west it shares a border with the department of [[Gard]] and the communes of [[Villeneuve-lès-Avignon]] and [[Les Angles, Gard|Les Angles]] and to the south it borders the department of [[Bouches-du-Rhône]] and the communes of [[Barbentane]], [[Rognonas]], [[Châteaurenard]], and [[Noves]].

The city is in the vicinity of [[Orange, Vaucluse|Orange]] (north), [[Nîmes]], [[Montpellier]] (south-west), [[Arles]] (to the south), [[Salon-de-Provence]], and [[Marseille]] (south-east). Directly contiguous to the east and north are the communes of [[Caumont-sur-Durance]], [[Morières-lès-Avignon]], [[Le Pontet, Vaucluse|Le Pontet]], and [[Sorgues]].

=== Geology and terrain ===
[[File:P1280052 - Avignon.JPG|thumb|Aerial view of Avignon]]

The region around Avignon is very rich in [[limestone]] which is used for building material. For example, the current [[Walls of Avignon|city walls]], measuring 4,330 metres long, were built with the soft limestone abundant in the region called ''mollasse burdigalienne''.<ref name="geologie">[https://web.archive.org/web/20070927220632/http://www.cjrosier.com/Agence-immobiliere/Relief-et-geologie-des-sols-autour-d-Avignon-Vaucluse.htm Relief and Geology of the Avignon sector], Agence Rosier website (archived) {{in lang|fr}}</ref>

Enclosed by the city walls, the ''Rocher des Doms'' is a limestone elevation of ''Urgonian'' type, 35 metres high<ref>[http://www.universalis.fr/encyclopedie/avignon Avignon Encyclopedia] Universalis website {{in lang|fr}}</ref> (and therefore safe from flooding of the Rhone which it overlooks) and is the original core of the city. Several limestone massifs are present around the commune (the ''Massif des Angles'', ''Villeneuve-lès-Avignon'', ''Alpilles''...) and they are partly the result of the [[oceanisation]] of the Ligurian-Provençal basin following the migration of the Sardo-Corsican block.<ref name="geologie" />

The other significant elevation in the commune is the [[Montfavet]] Hill – a wooded hill in the east of the commune.<ref name="geologie"/>

The Rhone Valley is an old alluvial zone: loose deposits cover much of the ground. It consists of sandy alluvium more or less coloured with pebbles consisting mainly of siliceous rocks. The islands in the Rhone, such as the ''Île de la Barthelasse'', were created by the accumulation of alluvial deposits and also by the work of man. The relief is quite low despite the creation of mounds allowing local protection from flooding.<ref name="geologie"/>

In the land around the city there are clay, silt, sand, and limestone present.<ref name="geologie" />

=== Hydrography ===
[[File:Vue des ponts d'Avignon par JM Rosier.JPG|thumb|Bridges on the ''Grand [[Rhône]]''.]]
[[File:Pont d'Avignon.jpg|thumb|The ''[[Pont Saint-Bénézet|Pont d'Avignon]]'' on the ''Petit Rhône''. In the background is [[Mont Ventoux]].]]

The Rhone passes the western edge of the city, but is divided into two branches: the ''Petit Rhône'', or "dead arm", for the part that passes next to Avignon and the ''Grand Rhône'', or "live arm", for the western channel which passes [[Villeneuve-lès-Avignon]] in the [[Gard]] department. The two branches are separated by an island, the Île de la Barthelasse. The southernmost tip of the Île de la Barthelasse once formed of a separated island, the L'Île de Piot.<ref>{{ cite web | title=Cassini map circa 1750: Avignon | url=http://rumsey.geogarage.com/maps/cassinige.html?lat=43.9493&lon=4.8059&zoom=13 | publisher=David Rumsey Historical Map Collection | access-date=31 July 2014 }}</ref>

The banks of the Rhone and the Île de la Barthelasse are often subject to flooding during autumn and March. The publication ''Floods in France since the 6th century until today – research and documentation''{{sfn|Champion|1862}} by Maurice Champion tells about a number of them (until 1862, the flood of 1856 was one of the largest, which destroyed part of the walls). They have never really stopped as shown by the floods in 1943–1944<ref>[http://www.ina.fr/video/AFE86002249/la-crue-de-l-allier-video.html ''Floods in Avignon''], [[Institut national de l'audiovisuel]] video document, consulted on 19 July 2014 {{in lang|fr}}</ref> and again on 23 January 1955<ref>[http://www.ina.fr/video/CAF94017398/inondations-a-paris-et-a-avignon-video.html ''Floods in Paris and Avignon''], 23 January 1955, [[Institut national de l'audiovisuel]] video document JT 20h, [[ORTF]], consulted on 19 July 2014 {{in lang|fr}}</ref> and remain important today – such as the floods of 2 December 2003.<ref>[http://www.ina.fr/video/2454650001002/voyage-helico-vaucluse-video.html ''Floods on 2 December 2003''], [[Institut national de l'audiovisuel]] video document {{in lang|fr}}</ref> As a result, a new risk mapping has been developed.

The [[Durance]] flows along the southern boundary of the commune into the Rhone and marks the departmental boundary with [[Bouches-du-Rhône]].<ref name=sandre>{{sandre|id=X---0000|nom=La Durance}}</ref> It is a river that is considered "capricious" and once feared for its floods (it was once called the "3rd scourge of Provence"{{efn|Provençal tradition says that the first two were the [[mistral (wind)|mistral]] and the [[Parliament of Aix-en-Provence|Parliament of Aix]]}} as well as for its low water: the Durance has both Alpine and Mediterranean morphology which is unusual.

There are many natural and artificial water lakes in the commune such as the Lake of Saint-Chamand east of the city.

==== Artificial diversions ====
[[File:Moulin Parc chico mendes 6.jpg|thumb|A mill on the Vaucluse Canal in the ''Pont des 2 eaux'' district]]

There have been many diversions<ref>[http://www.avignon-et-provence.com/avignon-tourism/monuments/rue-des-teinturiers.htm#.U8oly5SSzUc The Street of Dyers – Avignon], avignon-et-provence.com website, consulted on 19 July 2014</ref> throughout the course of history, such as feeding the moat surrounding Avignon or irrigating crops.

In the 10th century part of the waters from the ''Sorgue d'Entraigues'' were diverted and today pass under the walls to enter the city. (See [[Sorgue]]). This watercourse is called the Vaucluse Canal but Avignon people still call it the ''Sorgue'' or ''Sorguette''. It is visible in the city in the ''Rue des teinturiers'' (street of dyers). It fed the moat around the first defensive walls then fed the moat on the newer eastern city walls (14th century). {{Citation needed|date=July 2017}} In the 13th century (under an Act signed in 1229) part of the waters of the Durance were diverted to increase the water available for the moats starting from Bonpas. This river was later called the ''Durançole''. {{Citation needed|date=July 2017}} The ''Durançole'' fed the western moats of the city and was also used to irrigate crops at Montfavet. In the city, these streams are often hidden beneath the streets and houses and are currently used to collect sewerage. {{Citation needed|date=July 2017}}

The Hospital Canal (joining the Durançole) and the Crillon Canal (1775) were dug to irrigate the territories of Montfavet, Pontet, and Vedène. {{citation needed|date=October 2017}} They were divided into numerous "fioles" or "filioles" (in [[Provençal dialect|Provençal]] ''filhòlas'' or ''fiolo''). Similarly, to irrigate the gardens of the wealthy south of Avignon, the Puy Canal was dug (1808). All of these canals took their water from the Durance. These canals were initially used to flood the land, which was very stony, to fertilize them by deposition of silt. {{Citation needed|date=July 2017}}

All of these canals have been used to operate many mills.

=== Seismicity ===
[[File:Clocher de l'église des Augustins (Place des Carmes) Avignon, by JM Rosier.JPG|thumb|The leaning bell tower of the Church of the [[Augustinians]].]]

Under the new seismic zoning of France defined in Decree No. 2010-1255 of 22 October 2010 concerning the delimitation of the seismicity of the French territory and which entered into force on 1 May 2011, Avignon is located in an area of moderate seismicity. The previous zoning is shown below for reference.

"The cantons of Bonnieux, Apt, Cadenet, Cavaillon, and Pertuis are classified in zone Ib (low risk). All other cantons the Vaucluse department, including Avignon, are classified Ia (very low risk). This zoning is for exceptional seismicity resulting in the destruction of buildings.".<ref>''Regulatory Seismic Zoning of France, classed by cantons (as at the end of 1989) in the PACA rehion'', p. 48. {{in lang|fr}}</ref>

The presence of faults in the limestone substrate shows that significant tectonic shift has caused earthquakes in different geological ages. The last major earthquake of significant magnitude was on 11 June 1909.{{efn|The épicentre was at Lambesc – a village in Bouches-du-Rhône.}} It left a visible trace in the centre of the city since the bell tower of the Augustinians, which is surmounted by an ancient [[campanile]] of wrought iron, located in Rue Carreterie, remained slightly leaning as a result of this earthquake.

{{Main|1909 Provence earthquake}}

=== Climate ===
Avignon has a [[hot-summer mediterranean climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]]: '''Csa'''), though the dry-summer effect is not as strong as coastal locations like [[Marseille]] due to its more sheltered inland location. With mild-cool winters and hot summers, with moderate rainfall year-round. July and August are the hottest months with average daily maximum temperatures of around 28 °C, and January and February the coldest with average daily maximum temperatures of around 9 °C. The wettest month is September, with a rain average of 102 millimetres, and the driest month is July, when the monthly average rainfall is 37 millimetres. The city is often subject to windy weather; the strongest wind is the [[mistral (wind)|mistral]]. A medieval Latin proverb said of the city: ''Avenie ventosa, sine vento venenosa, cum vento fastidiosa'' (Windy Avignon, pest-ridden when there is no wind, wind-pestered when there is).{{sfn|Mistral|1979|p=[http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k74854/f203.image 196]}}

{{Weather box
|location = Avignon (1981–2010 averages, extremes 1958–present)
|metric first = yes
|single line = yes
|Jan record high C = 20.9
|Feb record high C = 22.3
|Mar record high C = 26.5
|Apr record high C = 31.1
|May record high C = 34.1
|Jun record high C = 42.8
|Jul record high C = 39.7
|Aug record high C = 40.5
|Sep record high C = 35.3
|Oct record high C = 30.8
|Nov record high C = 24.3
|Dec record high C = 21.0
|year record high C = 42.8
|Jan high C = 10.2
|Feb high C = 11.8
|Mar high C = 15.6
|Apr high C = 18.6
|May high C = 23.1
|Jun high C = 27.3
|Jul high C = 30.7
|Aug high C = 30.0
|Sep high C = 25.3
|Oct high C = 20.2
|Nov high C = 14.0
|Dec high C = 10.5
|year high C = 19.8
|Jan mean C = 5.9
|Feb mean C = 7.1
|Mar mean C = 10.3
|Apr mean C = 13.1
|May mean C = 17.3
|Jun mean C = 21.2
|Jul mean C = 24.2
|Aug mean C = 23.7
|Sep mean C = 19.6
|Oct mean C = 15.4
|Nov mean C = 9.9
|Dec mean C = 6.6
|year mean C = 14.6
|Jan low C = 1.6
|Feb low C = 2.3
|Mar low C = 5.1
|Apr low C = 7.5
|May low C = 11.4
|Jun low C = 15.2
|Jul low C = 17.8
|Aug low C = 17.3
|Sep low C = 14.0
|Oct low C = 10.5
|Nov low C = 5.8
|Dec low C = 2.7
|year low C = 9.3
|Jan record low C = −13.0
|Feb record low C = −14.0
|Mar record low C = −9.5
|Apr record low C = −2.2
|May record low C = 1.3
|Jun record low C = 4.4
|Jul record low C = 8.6
|Aug record low C = 8.0
|Sep record low C = 3.9
|Oct record low C = −2.2
|Nov record low C = −7.4
|Dec record low C = −14.0
|year record low C = −14.0
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 48.7
|Feb precipitation mm = 37.6
|Mar precipitation mm = 38.6
|Apr precipitation mm = 66.1
|May precipitation mm = 62.5
|Jun precipitation mm = 41.0
|Jul precipitation mm = 26.6
|Aug precipitation mm = 45.8
|Sep precipitation mm = 97.6
|Oct precipitation mm = 91.4
|Nov precipitation mm = 71.1
|Dec precipitation mm = 49.0
|year precipitation mm = 676.0
|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
|Jan precipitation days = 5.4
|Feb precipitation days = 4.8
|Mar precipitation days = 4.4
|Apr precipitation days = 7.1
|May precipitation days = 6.5
|Jun precipitation days = 4.3
|Jul precipitation days = 2.4
|Aug precipitation days = 3.3
|Sep precipitation days = 5.3
|Oct precipitation days = 7.2
|Nov precipitation days = 6.7
|Dec precipitation days = 5.6
|year precipitation days = 62.9
|source 1 = [[Météo France]]<ref>{{cite web
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180330023741/https://donneespubliques.meteofrance.fr/FichesClim/FICHECLIM_84007002.pdf
| archive-date = 30 March 2018
| url = https://donneespubliques.meteofrance.fr/FichesClim/FICHECLIM_84007002.pdf
| title = Avignon–INRA (84)
| work = Fiche Climatologique: Statistiques 1981–2010 et records
| publisher = Meteo France
| language = fr
| access-date = 29 March 2018}}</ref>
}}

According to Météo-France the number of days per year with rain above 2.5 litres per square metre is 45 and the amount of water, rain and snow combined is 660 litres per square metre. Average temperatures vary between 0 and 30 °C depending on the season. The record temperature record since the existence of the weather station at Orange is 40.7 °C on 26 July 1983 and the record lowest was −14.5 °C on 2 February 1956.<ref>[http://www.infoclimat.fr/climatologie-07579-orange-caritat.html Infoclimat weather station at Orange] {{in lang|fr}}</ref>

==== The mistral ====
The prevailing wind is the [[mistral (wind)|mistral]] for which the windspeed can be beyond 110 km/h. It blows between 120 and 160 days per year with an average speed of 90 km/h in gusts.<ref>Jean Vialar, ''Regional and local winds'', 1948; reprinted by [[Météo-France]] in 2003. {{in lang|fr}}</ref> The following table shows the different speeds of the mistral recorded by Orange and Carpentras Serres stations in the southern Rhone valley and its frequency in 2006. ''Normal'' corresponds to the average of the last 53 years from Orange weather reports and that of the last 42 at Carpentras.<ref>Source: Inter Rhône technical services at Avignon [http://www.vacqueyras.tm.fr/pdf/2006.pdf Metereological data from 2006] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081113000049/http://www.vacqueyras.tm.fr/pdf/2006.pdf |date=13 November 2008 }} {{in lang|fr}}</ref>

'''Legend:''' "=" same as normal; "+" Higher than normal; "-" Lower than normal.

{| class="wikitable" width="100%" style="text-align:center;"
|+ Speed of Mistral winds
|
! scope="col" | Jan.
! scope="col" | Feb.
! scope="col" | Mar.
! scope="col" | Apr.
! scope="col" | May.
! scope="col" | Jun.
! scope="col" | Jul.
! scope="col" | Aug.
! scope="col" | Sep.
! scope="col" | Oct.
! scope="col" | Nov.
! scope="col" | Dec.
|-
! abbr="Max. Speed" scope="col" | Maximum recorded speed by month
|106 km/h
|127 km/h
|119 km/h
|97 km/h
|94 km/h
|144 km/h
|90 km/h
|90 km/h
|90 km/h
|87 km/h
|91 km/h
|118 km/h
|-
! abbr="Tendency" scope="col" | Tendency: Days with speed > 16 m/s (58 km/h)
|<nowiki>--</nowiki>
|<nowiki>+++</nowiki>
|<nowiki>---</nowiki>
|<nowiki>++++</nowiki>
|<nowiki>++++</nowiki>
|<nowiki>=</nowiki>
|<nowiki>=</nowiki>
|<nowiki>++++</nowiki>
|<nowiki>+</nowiki>
|<nowiki>---</nowiki>
|<nowiki>=</nowiki>
|<nowiki>++</nowiki>
|}

== Demographics ==
In 2017, the commune had 91,921 inhabitants.
{{Historical populations
| align = none
| cols = 2
| percentages = pagr
| source = EHESS<ref name=ehess>{{Cassini-Ehess|2184|Avignon}}</ref> and INSEE<ref name=pophist>[https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4515315?geo=COM-84007#POP_T1 Population en historique depuis 1968], INSEE</ref>
| graph-pos = bottom
|1793 |24000
|1800 |21412
|1806 |23789
|1821 |29407
|1831 |29889
|1836 |31786
|1841 |33844
|1846 |35169
|1851 |35890
|1856 |37077
|1861 |36081
|1866 |36427
|1872 |38196
|1876 |38008
|1881 |37657
|1886 |41007
|1891 |43453
|1896 |45107
|1901 |46896
|1906 |48312
|1911 |49304
|1921 |48177
|1926 |51685
|1931 |57228
|1936 |59472
|1946 |60053
|1954 |62768
|1962 |72717
|1968 |86096
|1975 |90786
|1982 |89132
|1990 |86939
|1999 |85935
|2007 |91283
|2012 |89380
|2017 |91921
}}

== Administration ==
Avignon is the ''[[prefecture]]'' (capital) of [[Vaucluse]] ''[[Departments of France|department]]'' in the [[Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur]] region. It forms the core of the [[Grand Avignon]] metropolitan area (''[[communauté d'agglomération]]''), which comprises 15 communes on both sides of the river:<ref>{{cite web | title=Les communes | url=http://www.grandavignon.fr/le-grand-avignon/les-communes/ | publisher=Communauté d'Agglomération du Grand Avignon | access-date=25 March 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190222204628/http://www.grandavignon.fr/le-grand-avignon/les-communes/ | archive-date=22 February 2019 | url-status=dead }}</ref>
* [[Les Angles, Gard|Les Angles]], [[Pujaut]], [[Rochefort-du-Gard]], [[Sauveterre, Gard|Sauveterre]], [[Saze]] and [[Villeneuve-lès-Avignon]] in the [[Gard]] ''{{lang|fr|département}}'';
* '''Avignon''', [[Caumont-sur-Durance]], [[Entraigues-sur-la-Sorgue]], [[Jonquerettes]], [[Morières-lès-Avignon]], [[Le Pontet, Vaucluse|Le Pontet]], [[Saint-Saturnin-lès-Avignon]], [[Vedène]] and [[Velleron]] in the Vaucluse ''{{lang|fr|département}}''.

=== List of mayors ===
'''List of successive [[Mayor (France)|mayors]]'''<ref>[http://www.francegenweb.org/mairesgenweb/resultcommune.php?id=44 List of Mayors of France] {{in lang|fr}}</ref>

{{Hidden begin
|title=[[Mayor (France)|Mayors]] from the French Revolution to 1940
|titlestyle = background:palegreen;
}}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! From !! To !! Name
|-
| 1790 || 1790 || Jean-Baptiste d'Armand
|-
| 1790 || 1791 || Antoine Agricol Richard
|-
| 1791 || 1792 || Levieux-Laverne
|-
| 1792 || 1793 || Jean-Ettienne Duprat
|-
| 1793 || 1793 || Jean-André Cartoux
|-
| 1793 || 1793 || Jean-François ROCHETIN
|-
| 1795 || 1795 || Guillaume François Ignace Puy
|-
| 1795 || 1796 || Alexis Bruny
|-
| 1796 || 1796 || Père Minvielle
|-
| 1796 || 1797 || Faulcon
|-
| 1797 || 1798 || Père Minvielle
|-
| 1798 || 1799 || Cadet Garrigan
|-
| 1799 || 1800 || Père Niel
|-
| 1800 || 1806 || Guillaume François Ignace PUY
|-
| 1806 || 1811 || Agricol Joseph Xavier Bertrand
|-
| 1811 || 1815 || Guillaume François Ignace Puy
|-
| 1815 || 1815 || Hippolyte Roque de Saint-Pregnan
|-
| 1815 || 1819 || Charles de Camis-Lezan
|-
| 1819 || 1820 || Louis Duplessis de Pouzilhac
|-
| 1820 || 1826 || Charles Soullier
|-
| 1826 || 1830 || Louis Pertuis de Montfaucon
|-
| 1830 || 1832 || François Jillian
|-
| 1832 || 1833 || Balthazar Delorme
|-
| 1834 || 1837 || Hippolyte Roque de Saint-Pregnan
|-
| 1837 || 1841 || Dominique Geoffroy
|-
| 1841 || 1843 || Albert d'Olivier de Pezet
|-
| 1843 || 1847 || Eugène Poncet
|-
| 1847 || 1848 || Hyacinthe Chauffard
|-
| 1848 || 1848 || Alphonse Gent
|-
| 1848 || 1848 || Frédéric Granier
|-
| 1848 || 1850 || Gabriel Vinay
|-
| 1850 || 1852 || Martial BOSSE
|-
| 1852 || 1853 || Eugène Poncet
|-
| 1853 || 1865 || Paul Pamard
|-
| 1865 || 1870 || Paul Poncet
|-
| 1870 || 1871 || Paul Bourges
|-
| 1871 || 1874 || Paul Poncet
|-
| 1874 || 1878 || Roger du Demaine
|-
| 1878 || 1881 || Paul Poncet
|-
| 1881 || 1881 || Eugène Millo
|-
| 1881 || 1884 || Charles Deville
|-
| 1884 || 1888 || Paul Poncet
|-
| 1888 || 1903 || Gaston Pourquery de Boisserin
|-
| 1903 || 1904 || Alexandre Dibon
|-
| 1904 || 1910 || Henri Guigou
|-
| 1910 || 1919 || Louis Valayer
|-
| 1919 || 1925 || Ferdinand Bec
|-
| 1925 || 1928 || Louis Gros
|-
| 1929 || 1940 || Louis Nouveau
|}
{{Hidden end}}

;[[Mayor (France)|Mayors]] from 1940

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! From !! To !! Name !! Party
|-
| 1940 || 1942 || Jean Gauger ||
|-
| 1942 || 1944 || Edmond Pailheret ||
|-
| 1944 || 1945 || Louis Gros ||
|-
| 1945 || 1947 || Georges Pons ||
|-
| 1947 || 1948 || Paul Rouvier ||
|-
| 1948 || 1950 || Henri Mazo ||
|-
| 1950 || 1953 || Noël Hermitte ||
|-
| 1953 || 1958 || [[Edouard Daladier]] ||
|-
| 1958 || 1983 || Henri Duffaut || [[Socialist Party (France)|PS]]
|-
| 1983 || 1989 || Jean-Pierre Roux || [[Rally for the Republic|RPR]]
|-
| 1989 || 1995 || [[Guy Ravier]] || [[Socialist Party (France)|PS]]
|-
| 1995 || 2014 || Marie-José Roig || [[Union for a Popular Movement|UMP]]
|-
| 2014 || 2026 || Cécile Helle || [[Socialist Party (France)|PS]]
|}

===Twin towns – sister cities===
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in France}}
Avignon is [[Twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web |title=Jumelages|url=http://www.avignon.fr/ma-ville/culture-et-tourisme/jumelages/|website=avignon.fr|publisher=Avignon|language=fr|access-date=2019-11-12}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
*[[Colchester]], United Kingdom since 1972
*[[Guanajuato]], Mexico since 1990
*[[Diourbel]], Senegal since 1961
*[[New Haven]], Connecticut, USA since 1993
*[[Siena]], Italy since 1981
*[[Tarragona]], Spain since 1968
*[[Tortosa]], Spain since 1968
*[[Wetzlar]], Germany since 1960
{{div col end}}

=== Evolution of the borders of the commune ===
Avignon absorbed [[Montfavet]] between 1790 and 1794 then ceded [[Morières-lès-Avignon]] in 1870 and [[Le Pontet, Vaucluse|Le Pontet]] in 1925.<ref name=ehess/> On 16 May 2007 the commune of [[Les Angles, Gard|Les Angles]] in [[Gard]] ceded 13 hectares to Avignon.<ref name="annuaire-mairie">[http://www.annuaire-mairie.fr/ville-avignon.html Avignon], Town Hall Annual, consulted on 10 September 2010 {{in lang|fr}}</ref>

=== Area and population ===
The city of Avignon has an area of 64.78 km2 and a population of 92,078 inhabitants in 2010 and is ranked as follows:<ref name="annuaire-mairie" />

{| class="wikitable centre" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! scope="col" | Rank
! scope="col" | Land Area
! scope="col" | Population
! scope="col" | Density
|-
! scope="row" | [[France]]
| 524th
| 46th
| 632nd
|-
! scope="row" | [[Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur]]
| 105th
| 5th
| 23rd
|-
! scope="row" | [[Vaucluse]]
| 6th
| 1st
| 2nd
|}

== Economy ==
Avignon is the seat of the ''Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Vaucluse'' which manages the Avignon – Caumont Airport and the Avignon-Le Pontet Docks.

Avignon has 7,000 businesses, 1,550 associations, 1,764 shops, and 1,305 service providers.<ref name=mariecarte>{{ cite web | title=Contexte économique: Carte d'identité d'Avignon | url=http://www.mairie-avignon.fr/fr/ecodev/environ/ci.php | publisher=Le Marie, Avignon | language=fr }}</ref> The urban area has one of the largest catchment areas in Europe with more than 300,000 square metres of retail space and 469 m2 per thousand population against 270 on average in France.<ref>[http://www.leravi.org/spip.php?article742 A wall of commercial areas], journal ''le Ravi'', November 2008 {{in lang|fr}}</ref> The commercial area of Avignon Nord is one of the largest in Europe.<ref>[http://www.leravi.org/spip.php?article1140 It is the zone], article in the Provençal magazine ''le Ravi'', September 2011</ref>

The tertiary sector is the most dynamic in the department by far on the basis of the significant production of early fruit and vegetables in Vaucluse, The MIN (Market of National Importance) has become the pivotal hub of commercial activity in the department, taking precedence over other local markets (including that of [[Carpentras]]).

A [[Sensitive urban zone]] was created for companies wanting to relocate with exemptions from tax and social issues.<ref>[http://www.mairie-avignon.fr/fr/ecodev/eco/zfu1.php The exemptions in the Sensitive urban zone of Avignon] {{in lang|fr}}</ref> It is located south of Avignon between the city walls and the Durance located in the districts of Croix Rouge, Monclar, Saint-Chamand, and La Rocade.<ref>[http://www.avignonvaucluse.cci.fr/1-9685-ZFU-d-Avignon.php Maps and plans of the Sensitive urban zone of Avignon], Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Vaucluse, consulted on 19 October 2011 {{in lang|fr}}</ref>

=== Areas of economic activity ===
There are nine main areas of economic activity in Avignon.<ref name="ZAE">[http://www.avignonvaucluse.cci.fr/dynamiques/doc/LISTE-ZAE-MIS-EN-PAGE1.pdf Principal areas of activity in the department] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120108132701/http://www.avignonvaucluse.cci.fr/dynamiques/doc/LISTE-ZAE-MIS-EN-PAGE1.pdf |date=8 January 2012 }}, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Vaucluse, consulted on 19 October 2011 {{in lang|fr}}</ref>

The Courtine area is the largest with nearly 300 businesses (of which roughly half are service establishments, one third are shops, and the rest related to industry) and more than 3,600 jobs.<ref name="ZAE" /> The site covers an area of 300 hectares and is located south-west of the city at the TGV railway station.

Then comes the Fontcouverte area with a hundred establishments representing a thousand jobs. It is, however, more oriented towards shops than the Courtine area.<ref name="ZAE" />

The MIN area of Avignon is the Agroparc area{{efn|This area has had the INRA Centre which carries out scientific research in engineering environmental management for cultivated land and forests since 1953.}} (or "Technopole Agroparc"). The Cristole area is contiguous and both have a little less than a hundred establishments.<ref name="ZAE" />

Finally, the areas of Castelette, Croix de Noves, Realpanier, and the airport each have fewer than 25 establishments spread between service activities and shops. The area of the Castelette alone represents more than 600 jobs – i.e. 100 more than Cristole.<ref name="ZAE" />

=== Tourism ===
Four million visitors come annually to visit the city and the region and also for its festival.<ref name=mariecarte/> In 2011 the most visited tourist attraction was the Palais des Papes with 572,972 paying visitors.<ref name=otstats>{{ cite web|last=Joly |first=Sylvie |title=Avignon 2013: Dossier de Presse |url=http://www.ftp-avignon.com/pdf/DP2013/DP2013.pdf |publisher=Office de Tourisme, Avignon |access-date=31 July 2014 |language=fr |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140810035854/http://www.ftp-avignon.com/pdf/DP2013/DP2013.pdf |archive-date=10 August 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The annual Festival d'Avignon is the most important cultural event in the city. The official festival attracted 135,800 people in 2012.<ref name=otstats/>

[[File:Viking Burgundy (ship, 2000) 001.jpg|thumb|A cruise boat at the quay at Avignon.]]
River tourism began in 1994 with three river boat-hotels. {{Citation needed|date=July 2017}} In 2011 there is a fleet of 21 river boat-hotel vessels, including six sight-seeing boats which are anchored on the quay along the Oulle walkways. In addition, a free shuttle boat connects Avignon to the Île de la Barthelasse and, as of 1987, a harbor master has managed all river traffic.

The commune has been awarded one flower by the ''National Council of Towns and Villages in Bloom'' in the ''Competition of cities and villages in Bloom''.<ref>[http://www.cnvvf.fr/les_villes_et_village_fleuris-47.html Avignon in the Competition for Towns and Villages in Bloom] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141210053901/http://www.cnvvf.fr/les_villes_et_village_fleuris-47.html |date=10 December 2014 }} {{in lang|fr}}</ref>

=== Agriculture ===
[[File:Fruits et légumes aux Halles.jpg|thumb|Fruit and Vegetables at the Markets of Avignon]]

The city is the headquarters of the ''International Association of the Mediterranean [[tomato]]'', the ''World Council of the [[tomato industry]]'', and the ''Inter-Rhône'' organisation.

=== Industry ===
Only [[Électricité de France|EDF]] (Grand Delta) with about 850 employees and ''Onet Propreté''{{efn|Cleaning company.}} with just over 300 exceed 100 employees.<ref name="Sud Insee">[http://www.insee.fr/fr/insee_regions/provence/themes/sud_essentiel/sie10/sie10.pdf South INSEE the highest 10], October 1998, [[INSEE]], consulted on 18 October 2011 {{in lang|fr}}</ref>

=== Public sector (excluding government) ===
The Henri Duffaut hospital, the City of Avignon, and the CHS of Montfavet are the largest employers in the town with about 2,000 employees each. Then comes the General Council of Vaucluse with about 1,300 employees.<ref name="Sud Insee" />

=== Employment ===
In 2017 the unemployment rate was 26.0% while it was 20.7% in 2007.<ref name=complet>[https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/2011101?geo=COM-84007 Dossier complet: Commune d'Avignon (84007)], INSEE, retrieved 14 September 2020</ref> There are 38,731 people in the Avignon workforce: 102 (0.3%) agricultural workers, 2,194 (5.7%) tradesmen, shopkeepers, and business managers, 5,598 (14.5%) managers and intellectuals, 8,486 (21.9%) middle managers, 11,734 (30.3%) employees, and 9,247 (23.9%) workers.<ref name=complet/>

== Transport ==

=== Roads ===
Avignon is close to two highways:
*the '''[[A7 autoroute]]''' (E714) is a north–south axis on which there are two exits: {{Motorway exit|23}} Avignon-Nord (Northern districts of Avignon, Le Pontet, Carpentras) and {{Motorway exit|24}} Avignon-Sud (Southern districts of Avignon, Avignon-Caumont Airport);
*the '''[[A9 autoroute]]''' (E15) which branches from the A7 near Orange along a north-east south-west axis towards [[Spain]].

The main roads are:
*[[Route nationale]] N100 which goes west to [[Remoulins]]
*The D225 which goes north towards [[Entraigues-sur-la-Sorgue]]
*The D62 which goes north-east to [[Vedène]]
*The D28 which goes east to [[Saint-Saturnin-lès-Avignon]]
*The D901 which goes south-east to [[Morières-lès-Avignon]]
*Route nationale N570 which goes south to [[Rognonas]]

The city has nine paid parking buildings with a total of 7,100 parking spaces, parking buildings under surveillance with a capacity for 2,050 cars with a free shuttle to the city centre, as well as five other free parking areas with a capacity of 900 cars.<ref>{{cite web | title=Transport: Parking | url=http://www.avignon.fr/fr/pratique/transport/parking.php | publisher=La Marie d'Avignon | access-date=26 July 2014 | language=fr | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110926154148/http://www.avignon.fr/fr/pratique/transport/parking.php | archive-date=26 September 2011 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

=== Railways ===
Avignon is served by two railway stations: the historic train station built in 1860, the ''[[Gare d'Avignon-Centre]]'', located just outside the city walls, which can accommodate any type of train and, since 2001, the ''[[Gare d'Avignon TGV]]'' in the "Courtine" district south of the city, on the [[LGV Méditerranée]] line. Since December 2013 the two stations have been connected by a link line – the ''Virgule''. The Montfavet district, which was formerly a separate commune, also has a station.<ref name=transport>{{ cite web | title=Transport: Le train | url=http://www.avignon.fr/fr/pratique/transport/train.php | publisher=La Marie d'Avignon | access-date=26 July 2014 }}</ref>

=== Airports ===
The [[Avignon - Caumont Airport]] on the south-eastern commune border has several international routes to England. The major airport in the region with domestic and international scheduled passenger service is the [[Marseille Provence Airport]].

=== Water transport ===
[[File:Avignon - Navette Fluviale.JPG|thumb|A Water taxi departing from its berth]]
The [[Rhône]] has for many centuries been an important means of transportation for the city. River traffic in Avignon has two commercial ports, docking stations for boat cruises, and various riverfront developments. A free shuttle boat has been established between the quay near the city walls and the opposite bank (the île de la Barthelasse).

[[File:StationVelopop.JPG|thumb|A ''vélopop'' cycle station next to the city walls]]

=== Public transport ===
The {{interlanguage link|Transports en Commun Région d'Avignon|fr|lt=''Transports en Commun de la Région d'Avignon''}}, also known by the acronym TCRA, is the public transport operator for the commune of Avignon and its surrounding suburbs. TCRA operates [[bus]] services, as well as [[bike sharing]] and [[car pooling]] services. The first tram line opened in October 2019.<ref>{{cite web | title=TCRA Transports en Commun Région d'Avignon: Page d'accueil | url=http://www.tcra.fr/ | publisher=Transports en Commun de la Région d'Avignon | access-date=26 July 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.grandavignon.fr/travaux-et-projets/projets/reseau-bus-tram-la-dynamique-est-en-marche/le-tramway-un-projet-optimise-pour-2016/ |title=Le tramway: Un projet optimisé pour 2016 |publisher=Communauté d'Agglomération du Grand Avignon |access-date=12 March 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130702170229/http://www.grandavignon.fr/travaux-et-projets/projets/reseau-bus-tram-la-dynamique-est-en-marche/le-tramway-un-projet-optimise-pour-2016/ |archive-date=2 July 2013}}</ref>

=== Bicycles ===
Avignon has {{convert|110|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} of bicycle paths.<ref name=mariecarte/> In 2009 the TCRA introduced a [[bicycle sharing system]] called the ''[[Vélopop']]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Vélopop | url=http://www.velopop.fr/ | publisher=Transports en Commun de la Région d'Avignon | access-date=26 July 2014 | language=fr }}</ref>

== Cultural heritage ==
Avignon has a very large number of sites and buildings (177) that are registered as historical monuments.<ref>{{Search Mérimée|84007}}</ref>
[[File:Avignon shops.jpg|thumb|upright = 0.6 |Rue de la République, the city's central boulevard]]

In the part of the city within the walls the buildings are old but in most areas they have been restored or reconstructed (such as the post office and the Lycée Frédéric Mistral).<ref>{{cite web | title=L'extension du XXe siècle | url=http://archives.avignon.fr/expo/panneaux.donut?cid=18 | publisher=Archives Municipales Avignon | language=fr | access-date=26 July 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120117185840/http://archives.avignon.fr/expo/panneaux.donut?cid=18 | archive-date=17 January 2012 | url-status=dead}}</ref> The buildings along the main street, Rue de la République, date from the [[Second Empire (architecture)|Second Empire (1852–70)]] with [[Georges-Eugène Haussmann|Haussmann]] façades and amenities around Place de l'Horloge (the central square), the neoclassical city hall, and the theatre district.

[[File:Avignon statues.jpg|thumb|Statues gaze over the ''Place de l'Horloge'' in the town centre]]
[[File:Avignon facades.jpg|thumb|Paintings on the façades of buildings in the town centre]]

Listed below are the major sites of interest with those sites registered as historical monuments indicated:

*[[Notre Dame des Doms]] (12th century),{{Mérimée Icon}}<ref>Ministry of Culture, Mérimée {{Mérimée|PA00081814|PA00081814 Notre Dame des Doms}} {{in lang|fr}}{{Camera}}</ref> the cathedral is a [[Romanesque architecture|Romanesque]] building, mainly built during the 12th century; the most prominent feature of the cathedral is the 19th century gilded statue of the Virgin which surmounts the western tower. The [[mausoleum]] of [[Pope John XXII]] (1334){{Palissy Icon}}, within the cathedral, is a noteworthy example of 14th-century Gothic carving.<ref>Ministry of Culture, Palissy {{Palissy|PM84000105|PM84000105 Tomb of Pope John XXII}} {{in lang|fr}}{{Camera}}</ref>
*[[Palais des Papes]] ("Papal Palace") (14th century){{Mérimée Icon}}<ref>Ministry of Culture, Mérimée {{Mérimée|PA00081941|PA00081941 Palais des Papes}} {{in lang|fr}}{{Camera}}</ref> almost dwarfs the cathedral. The palace is an impressive monument and sits within a square of the same name. The palace was begun in 1316 by [[John XXII]] and continued by succeeding popes through the 14th century, until 1370 when it was finished.
* Minor churches of the town include, among others, three churches which were built in the Gothic [[architectural style]]:
**Church of Saint-Pierre (14th century){{Mérimée Icon}}<ref>Ministry of Culture, Mérimée {{Mérimée|PA00081834|PA00081834 Church of Saint-Pierre}} {{in lang|fr}}{{Camera}}</ref> which has a graceful façade and richly carved doors;
**Church of Saint-Didier (14th century);{{Mérimée Icon}}<ref>Ministry of Culture, Mérimée {{Mérimée|PA00081832|PA00081832 Church of Saint-Didier}} {{in lang|fr}}{{Camera}}</ref> and
**Church of Saint-Agricol (14th century).{{Mérimée Icon}}<ref>Ministry of Culture, Mérimée {{Mérimée|PA00081831|PA00081831 Church of Saint-Agricol}} {{in lang|fr}}{{Camera}}</ref>
*Other religious buildings:
**Church of Saint-Symphorien (14th century, former Carmelite monastery church).{{Mérimée Icon}}<ref>{{Base Mérimée|PA00081825|Couvent des Carmes (ancien)}}</ref>
**Church of Montfavet (14th century).{{Mérimée Icon}}<ref>{{Base Mérimée|PA84000079|Église de Montfavet et tours de l'ancienne livrée}}</ref>
**Chapel of the Oratory.{{Mérimée Icon}}<ref>{{Base Mérimée|PA00081816|Chapelle de l'Oratoire}}</ref>
**Chapel of the White penitents (16th century).{{Mérimée Icon}}<ref>{{Base Mérimée|PA00125729|Ancienne église Notre-Dame la Principale dite aussi ancienne chapelle des Pénitents blancs}}</ref>
**Chapel of the Grey penitents (18th century).{{Mérimée Icon}}<ref>{{Base Mérimée|PA00103302|Chapelle des Pénitents-Gris}}</ref>
**Chapel of the Black penitents.{{Mérimée Icon}}<ref>{{Base Mérimée|PA00081817|Chapelle des Pénitents Noirs de la Miséricorde}}</ref>
**Synagogue (19th century).{{Mérimée Icon}}<ref>{{Base Mérimée|PA00081947|Synagogue}}</ref>
*Civic buildings are represented most notably by:
**the ''Hôtel de Ville'' (city hall) (1846),{{Mérimée Icon}}<ref>Ministry of Culture, Mérimée {{Mérimée|PA00081880|PA00081880 Hôtel de Ville}} {{in lang|fr}}{{Camera}}</ref> a relatively modern building with a [[bell tower]] from the 14th century,
**the old ''Hôtel des Monnaies''{{Mérimée Icon}},<ref>Ministry of Culture, Mérimée {{Mérimée|PA00081864|PA00081864 Hôtel des Monnaies}} {{in lang|fr}}{{Camera}}</ref> the [[papal mint]] which was built in 1610 and became a music-school.
**Hospital Sainte-Marthe.{{Mérimée Icon}}<ref>{{Base Mérimée|PA00081837|Hôpital Sainte-Marthe}}</ref>
**Hotel of Saint-Priest (Hotel de Monery, 18th century).{{Mérimée Icon}}<ref>{{Base Mérimée|PA00081863|Hôtel de Monery ou de Saint-Priest}}</ref>
**House of King René (15th century).{{Mérimée Icon}}<ref>{{Base Mérimée|PA00081912|Immeuble dit maison du roi René}}</ref>
*The city walls,{{Mérimée Icon}}<ref>Ministry of Culture, Mérimée {{Mérimée|PA00081943|PA00081943 Ramparts}} {{in lang|fr}}{{Camera}}</ref> built by the popes in the 14th century and still encircle Avignon. They are one of the finest examples of [[medieval fortification]] in existence. The walls are of great strength and are surmounted by [[machicolated]] battlements flanked at intervals by 39 massive towers and pierced by several gateways, three of which date from the 14th century. The walls were restored under the direction of [[Eugène Viollet-le-Duc]]
*Bridges include:
**The ''[[Pont Saint-Bénézet]]'', better known as the ''Pont d'Avignon'' and for the French song ''[[Sur le pont d'Avignon]]''. Only four of the twenty one piers are left and the bridge ends mid-channel. On one of the piers stands the small Romanesque chapel of [[Saint Bénézet|Saint-Bénézet]].{{sfn|Vella et al.|2013}}
**The ''Pont Édouard Daladier'' and the ''Pont de Royaume'', which together span both channels of the [[Rhone]] leading to [[Villeneuve-lès-Avignon]], thus replacing the ''Pont Saint-Bénézet''
**The ''Pont de l'Europe'', which provides a second road crossing over the Rhone.
**Two railway bridges over the Rhone, one carrying the conventional [[Paris–Marseille railway|Paris–Marseille line]] and the other the [[LGV Méditerranée|LGV Méditerranée line]]
*[[Calvet Museum]], so named after [[Esprit Calvet]], a physician who in 1810 left his collections to the town. It has a large collection of paintings, metalwork and other objects. The library has over 140,000 volumes.{{sfn|Vingtain|Aujard-Catot|2001|pp=84–87}}
* The town has a Statue of [[Jean Althen]], who migrated from [[Persia]] and in 1765 introduced the culture of the [[Rubia|madder]] plant, which long formed the staple—and is still an important tool—of the local cloth trade in the area.
* [[Musée du Petit Palais, Avignon|Musée du Petit Palais]] (opened 1976) at the end of the square overlooked by the Palais des Papes, has an exceptional collection of Renaissance paintings of the Avignon school as well as from Italy, which reunites many "primitives" from the collection of [[Giampietro Campana]].
*The ''[[Hotel d'Europe]]'', one of the oldest hotels in France, in business since 1799.
*The ''Collection Lambert'', houses contemporary art exhibitions
*The ''Musée Angladon'' exhibits the paintings of a private collector who created the museum
*''Musée Lapidaire'', with collections of archaeological and medieval sculptures from the [[Fondation Calvet]] in the old chapel of the [[Jesuit]] College.
*''Musée Louis-Vouland''
*''[[Musée Requien]]''
*''Palais du Roure''{{Mérimée Icon}}<ref>Ministry of Culture, Mérimée {{Mérimée|PA00081942|PA00081942 Palais du Roure}} {{in lang|fr}}{{Camera}}</ref>
*''Les Halles'' is a large indoor market that offers fresh produce, meats, and fish along with a variety of other goods.
*The ''Place Pie'' is a small square near Place de l'Horloge where you can partake in an afternoon coffee on the outdoor terraces or enjoy a night on the town later in the evening as the square fills with young people.
*Note: the name of [[Pablo Picasso]]'s 1907 painting ''[[Les Demoiselles d'Avignon]]'' (''The Young Ladies of Avignon'') is misleading; Picasso's models for this painting were in fact not women of the city of Avignon, but rather of the Carrer d'Avinyó (Avignon Street) in [[Barcelona]].

The commune houses more than 500 historical objects, many of which religious.<ref>{{Search Palissy|84007}}</ref>

=== Gallery ===
<gallery>
File:Avignon, Palais des Papes by JM Rosier.jpg|View of the ''Palais des papes'' from the square on the western side.
File:Abbaye Saint-Ruf d'Avignon 01.JPG| The Abbey of Saint-Ruf.
File:Avignon bridge by Rosier.jpg|The ''[[Pont Saint-Bénézet|Pont d'Avignon]]'' from the song [[Sur le Pont d'Avignon]].
File:Remparts d'Avignon.jpg|The city walls of Avignon.
File:Hotel de la monnaie.JPG|The Hôtel des Monnaies.
</gallery>

== Culture ==

=== Avignon Festival ===
A theatre festival is held annually in Avignon. Founded in 1947, the [[Avignon Festival]] comprises traditional theatrical events as well as other art forms such as dance, music, and cinema, making use of the town's historical monuments. Every summer approximately 100,000 people attend the festival.<ref>{{cite web|title=Festival 2014|url=http://www.festival-avignon.com/en/|access-date=6 November 2013}}</ref> There are really two festivals that take place: the more formal "Festival In", which presents plays inside the Palace of the Popes and the more bohemian "Festival Off", which is known for its presentation of largely undiscovered plays and street performances.

Avignon festival was founded by Jean Vilar. This cultural initiative brought, year after year, a major economic boost to the city and to the region of Provence. Indeed, the tourists visiting Avignon during the month of July usually take benefit of their presence to go to the smaller villages around, to discover the local food, local wines, touristic activities, learn some French.

=== International Congress Centre ===
The centre was created in 1976 within the premises of the Palace of the Popes and hosts many events throughout the entire year. The Congress Centre, designed for conventions, seminars, and meetings for 10 to 550 persons, now occupies two wings of the Popes' Palace.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.palais-des-papes.com/anglais/cicaccueil.html |title=Popes' Palace |publisher=Palais-des-papes.com |access-date=17 January 2010| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100107001542/http://www.palais-des-papes.com/anglais/cicaccueil.html| archive-date= 7 January 2010 | url-status= live}}</ref>

=== "Sur le Pont d'Avignon" ===
{{Wide image|Avignon Panorama.jpg|900px|View over the Rhône looking northeast, with the [[Pont Saint-Bénézet]] or "Pont d'Avignon" at left}}
Avignon is commemorated by the French song, "[[Sur le Pont d'Avignon]]" ("On the bridge of Avignon"), which describes [[folk dance|folk dancing]]. The song dates from the mid-19th century when [[Adolphe Adam]] included it in the [[Opéra comique]] ''Le Sourd ou l'Auberge Pleine'' which was first performed in Paris in 1853. The opera was an adaptation of the 1790 comedy by [[Pierre Jean Baptiste Choudard Desforges|Desforges]].<ref>{{citation | last=Anonymous | title=Théatre Impérial de l'Opéra-Comique, Le Sourd ou l'Auberge pleine: Comédie en trois actes de Desforges, mélée de musique par Ad. Adam | journal=Revue et gazette musicale de Paris: journal des artistes, des amateurs et des théâtres | volume=20 | issue=6 | date=6 February 1853| page=42 | place=Paris | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jZdfc-w51y8C&pg=PA42 | language=fr }}.</ref>

The bridge of the song is the [[Pont Saint-Bénézet]] over the [[Rhône]] of which only four arches (out of the initial 22) now remain. A bridge across the Rhone was built between 1171 and 1185, with a length of some 900 m (2950 ft), but was destroyed during the [[Siege of Avignon (1226)|siege of Avignon]] by [[Louis VIII of France]] in 1226. It was rebuilt but suffered frequent collapses during floods and had to be continually repaired. Several arches were already missing (and spanned by wooden sections) before the remainder was abandoned in 1669.{{sfn|Rouquette|1974|pp=219–229}}

== Sport ==
[[Sporting Olympique Avignon]] is the local [[rugby league]] football team. During the 20th century it produced a number of French international representative players.

[[AC Arles-Avignon]] was a professional association football team. They competed in [[Ligue 2]], after a season 2010–2011 competing in Ligue 1 and being relegated back down the following season and ultimately folding in 2016. They played at the [[Parc des Sports (Avignon)|Parc des Sports]], which has a capacity of just over 17,000.

== Education ==
The schools within the commune of Avignon are administered by the Académie d'Aix-Marseille. There are 26 state nursery schools (''Écoles maternelles'') for children up to 6, and 32 state primary schools (''Écoles élémentaires'') up to 11. There are also 4 private schools.<ref>{{cite web | title=Liste des écoles maternelles et primaires | url=http://www.mairie-avignon.fr/fr/pratique/etudier/liste.php | publisher=Le Marie d'Avignon | access-date=2 August 2014 }}</ref>

=== University of Avignon ===
{{See also|Medieval university|List of medieval universities}}
[[File:UniversiteAvignon-Entree.jpg|right|thumb|Entrance to the main university building. This 18th century portico was once the entrance to the Hôpital Sainte-Marthe.]]

==== University before the Revolution ====
The medieval University of Avignon, formed from the existing schools of the city, was formally constituted in 1303 by [[Boniface VIII]] in a [[Papal Bull]]. Boniface VIII and [[Charles II of Naples|King Charles II]] of Naples were the first great protectors and benefactors to the university. The Law department was the most important department covering both civil and [[Canon law|ecclesiastical law]]. The law department existed nearly exclusively for some time after the university's formation and remained its most important department throughout its existence.<ref name=ceuni>{{CathEncy|wstitle=University of Avignon|noicon=x}}</ref>

In 1413 [[Antipope John XXIII|Pope John XXIII]] founded the university's department of theology, which for quite some time had only a few students. It was not until the 16th and 17th centuries that the school developed a department of medicine. The [[bishop of Avignon]] was chancellor of the university from 1303 to 1475. After 1475 the bishop became an archbishop but remained chancellor of the university. The papal vice-legate, generally a bishop, represented the civil power (in this case the pope) and was chiefly a judicial officer who ranked higher than the Primicerius (Rector).<ref name=ceuni/>

The Primicerius was elected by the Doctors of Law. In 1503 the Doctors of Law had 4 Theologians and in 1784 two [[Doctor of Medicine|Doctors of Medicine]] added to their ranks. Since the Pope was the spiritual head and, after 1348, the temporal ruler of Avignon, he was able to have a great deal of influence in all university affairs. In 1413 [[Pope John XXIII|John XXIII]] granted the university extensive special privileges, such as university jurisdiction and [[tax exemption|tax exempt status]]. Political, geographical, and educational circumstances in the latter part of the university's existence caused it to seek favour from Paris rather than Rome for protection. During the chaos of the [[French Revolution]] the university started to gradually disappear and, in 1792, the university was abandoned and closed.<ref name=ceuni/>

==== Modern university ====
A university annex of the ''Faculté des Sciences d'Aix-Marseille'' was opened in Avignon in 1963. Over the next 20 years various changes were made to the provision of tertiary education in the town until finally in 1984 the ''Université d'Avignon et des Pays de Vaucluse'' was created. This was nearly 200 years after the demise of the original Avignon university.<ref>{{cite web | title=Présentation: Histoire | publisher=Université d'Avignon et des Pays de Vaucluse | url=http://www.univ-avignon.fr/fr/presentation/reperes/histoire.html | access-date=5 April 2014 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407064916/http://www.univ-avignon.fr/fr/presentation/reperes/histoire.html | archive-date=7 April 2014}}</ref> The main campus lies to the east of the city centre within the city walls. The university occupies the 18th century buildings of the ''Hôpital Sainte-Marthe''. The main building has an elegant façade with a central [[portico]]. The right hand side was designed by [[Jean-Baptiste Franque]] and built between 1743 and 1745. Franque was assisted by his son François in the design of the portico. The hospital moved out in the 1980s and, after major works, the building opened for students in 1997.{{sfn|Vingtain|Aujard-Catot|2001|pp=123–124}}{{sfn|Girard|1958|pp=306–307}} In 2009–2010 there were 7,125 students registered at the university.<ref>{{cite web | title=Présentation: Chiffres clés | publisher=Université d'Avignon et des Pays de Vaucluse | url=http://www.univ-avignon.fr/fr/presentation/reperes/chiffres-cles.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071024161447/http://www.univ-avignon.fr/fr/presentation/reperes/chiffres-cles.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=24 October 2007 | access-date=5 April 2014 }}</ref>

== Notable people ==
* [[Jean Alesi]], [[Formula 1]] & [[DTM (racing)|DTM]] driver, born in Avignon, 1964
* [[Giuliano Alesi]], [[Formula 2 Championship|Formula 2]] driver, born in Avignon, 1999
* [[Vincent Almendros]], writer, winner of the 2015 [[prix Françoise Sagan]], born in Avignon, 1978
* [[Daniel Arsand]], writer and publisher, born in Avignon, 1950
* [[Trophime Bigot]], French painter, died in Avignon, 1650.{{sfn|Boyer|1988|p=356}}
* [[Henri Bosco]], writer, born in Avignon, 1888.{{sfn|Vitaglione|2000|p=63}}
* [[Pierre Boulle]], author of ''[[The Bridge over the River Kwai]]'' and ''[[Planet of the Apes (novel)|Planet of the Apes]]'', born in Avignon, 1912
* [[Cédric Carrasso]], footballer, born in Avignon, 1981
* [[Yahel Chirinian]], artist, born in Avignon, 1970
* [[Pierre-Louis Chovet]], racing driver, 2002
* Charles Dumazer, hip-hop producer, professionally known as [[C-Sick]], born in Avignon, 1991
* [[Marianne-Agnès Falques]], writer, born in Avignon, 1720
* [[Peste Noire|Famine]], black metal musician, 1982
* [[René Girard]], historian, literary critic, philosopher, and author, born in Avignon, 1923
* [[Albert Guille]] operatic tenor, born in Avignon, 1854
* [[Bernard Kouchner]], politician, born in Avignon, 1936
* [[Jean-Claude Malgoire]], musician, born in Avignon in 1940
* [[Mireille Mathieu]], singer, born in Avignon, 1946
* [[Olivier Messiaen]], composer, born in Avignon, 1908
* [[John Stuart Mill]], liberal philosopher, died at Avignon in 1873 and is buried in the cemetery.{{sfn|Girard|1958|p=356}}
* [[Clément Novalak]], [[FIA Formula 3 Championship|FIA Formula 3]] driver, born in Avignon, 2000
* [[Benoît Paire]], tennis player.
* [[Pierre-Esprit Radisson]], fur trader and explorer, born in Avignon, 1636 or 1640
* [[Alexandre de Rhodes]] (1591–1664), [[Society of Jesus|Jesuit]] [[missionary]], born in Avignon.<ref>{{CathEncy|wstitle=Alexandre De Rhodes|noicon=x}}</ref>
* [[Dorothea von Rodde-Schlözer]], artist and scholar, died in Avignon in 1825
* [[Michel Trinquier]], painter, born in Avignon, 1930
* [[Joseph Vernet]], painter, born in Avignon, 1714.<ref>{{cite web | title=Claude-Joseph Vernet | publisher=National Gallery, London | url=http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/artists/claude-joseph-vernet | access-date=5 April 2014 }}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Avenir Club Avignonnais]], a French association football team
* [[Battle of Avignon]] (737)
* [[Councils of Avignon]], councils of the Roman Catholic Church

== Notes ==
{{Notelist|40em}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Sources ==
{{refbegin|40em}}
*{{cite journal | last= Boyer | first= Jean | year=1988 | title= The one and only Trophime Bigot | journal= [[The Burlington Magazine]] | volume=130 | issue=1022 | pages=355–357 | jstor=883417 }}
*{{cite book | last=Champion | first=Maurice | year=1862 | title=Les inondations en France depuis le VIe siècle jusqu'a nos jours (Volume 4) | publisher=V. Dalmont | place=Paris | language=fr | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Al8JAAAAIAAJ }}
*{{cite book | last1=Dauzat | first1=Albert | last2=Rostaing | first2=Charles | year=1963 | title=Dictionnaire étymologique des noms de lieux en France | publisher=Larousse | place=Paris | language=fr }}
*{{cite book | last=Girard | first=Joseph | year=1958 | title= Évocation du Vieil Avignon | publisher= Les Éditions de Minuit | place=Paris | oclc= 5391399 | language=fr }}
*{{cite book | last=Mistral | first=Frédéric | year=1979 | orig-year=1879 | title= Lou Trésor dou Félibrige ou Dictionnaire provençal-français (Volume 1: A-F ) | publisher=M. Petit | place=Raphèle-lès-Arles | language=fr, oc | url=http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k74854 }}
*{{cite book | last=Rouquette | first=Jean-Maurice | year=1974 | title=Provence Romane: La Provence Rhodanienne | publisher=Zodiaque | place=Paris | language=fr, en, de| oclc= 1036957 }}
*{{ cite book | last=Rostaing | first=Charles | year=1994 | orig-year=1950 | title=Essai sur la toponymie de la Provence : depuis les origines jusqu'aux invasions barbares | publisher=Jeanne Laffitte | place=Marseille | isbn=978-273480676-9 | language=fr }}
*{{cite journal | last1=Vella | first1=Marc-Antoine | year=2013| title=Géoarchéologie du Rhône dans le secteur du pont Saint-Bénézet (Avignon, Provence, France) au cours de la seconde moitié du deuxième millénaire apr. J.-C. : étude croisée de géographie historique et des paléoenvironnements | journal=[[Géomorphologie|Géomorphologie : relief, processus, environnement]] | volume=3 | pages=287–310 | url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/257206911_Goarchologie_du_Rhne_dans_le_secteur_du_pont_Saint-Bnzet_(Avignon_Provence_France)_au_cours_de_la_seconde_moiti_du_deuxime_millnaire_apr._J.-C.__tude_croise_de_gographie_historique_et_des_paloenvironnements/file/50463524a6a945e46c.pdf | language=fr, en| ref={{sfnref|Vella et al.|2013}} | doi=10.4000/geomorphologie.10300|display-authors=etal}}
*{{cite book | editor1-last=Vingtain | editor1-first=Dominique | editor2-last=Aujard-Catot | editor2-first=Roland | year=2001 | title=Avignon: Musées, Monuments, Promenades | publisher= Éditions du patrimoine | place=Paris | isbn=2-85822-555-9 | language=fr }}
*{{cite book | last=Vitaglione | first= Daniel | year= 2000 | title= The Literature of Provence: An Introduction | publisher= McFarland | place=Jefferson, North Carolina | isbn= 9780786408436 }}
*{{cite book | last1=Xavier de Fourvière | first1=R.P. | last2=Rupert | first2=R.P. | year=1902 | title=Lou pichot tresor, dictionnaire provençal-français et français-provençal | publisher=Aubanel | place=Avignon | url=https://archive.org/details/loupichottresord00xaviuoft }}
*{{CathEncy|wstitle=Avignon}}
*{{CathEncy|wstitle=Councils of Avignon}}
*{{CathEncy|wstitle=University of Avignon}}
*{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Avignon}}
{{refend}}

== External links ==
{{commons category|Avignon}}
{{Wikivoyage|Avignon}}
*[http://www.ot-avignon.fr/home-1-2.html Tourist office website]
*[http://www.avignon.fr/en/ City council website]
*[http://www.grandavignon.fr Avignon greater metropolitan area website] {{in lang|fr}}
*[https://www.google.com/maps/@43.9416135,4.7982332,13813m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en Google Earth view of Avignon]

{{Geographic location
|Centre = Avignon
|North = [[Sauveterre, Gard|Sauveterre]]
|Northeast = [[Le Pontet, Vaucluse|Le Pontet]]
|East = [[Morières-lès-Avignon]]
|Southeast = [[Caumont-sur-Durance]]
|South = [[Rognonas]]
|Southwest = [[Barbentane]]
|West = [[Les Angles, Gard|Les Angles]]
|Northwest = [[Villeneuve-lès-Avignon]]
}}

{{World Heritage Sites in France}}
{{Prefectures of departments of France}}
{{European Capital of Culture}}
{{Vaucluse communes}}
{{Historic Provinces of France}}



{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Avignon| ]]
[[Category:Communes of Vaucluse]]
[[Category:Cities in France]]
[[Category:Prefectures in France]]
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in France]]
[[Category:Universities in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur]]
[[Category:Cavares]]

IndianPedia - User contributions [en]

Avignon