AVIGNON, a city of France, and capital of the department of Vaucluse, is situated on the cast bank of the Rhone; and includes a circumference of about three miles and a quarter. It is surrounded with handsome battlements and turrets. The streets and houses are in general irregular and ill built, but the public edifices are solid and grand, and indicate the splendour and magnificence of its former state. The churches of Notre-Dame, and of the Cxlestines, con tain several monuments and paintings equal to the finest in Italy, and their valuable curiosities are par ticularly deserving the attention of the traveller. In Avignon they reckon seven gates, seven palaces, seven colleges, seven hospitals, and, before the re volution, it had seven monasteries, and seven nun neries. Near the Rhone is a large rock, upon which is a platform which overlooks the whole city with its environs ; and across the river stand the ruinous and decayed arches of an extensive bridge, which was demolished by an inundation in 1699. About five miles from the city is the fountain Van. eluse, where Petrarch often retired to indulge his grief and hopeless passion. On the almost inaccessible ex tremity of a rock which overhangs the fountain, the peasants point to an ancient castle, and call it, II Castello di ,Petrarca and in an obscure corner of the church of the Cordeliers, is shown the almost de faced tomb of his Laura, and her husband Hugh de Sade. In Avignon there are a considerable number of Jews, who, when this city was under the jurisdic tion of the popes, were exposed to the most oppres sive restrictions. They were confined to a distinct
quarter of the town, which was so crowded that they could procure accommodation only by building their houses higher; and they durst not stir from home without yellow hats, or head dresses to distinguish them from the Christians. From these oppressions, however, they have been relieved by the annexation of Avignon to France.
In a crusade against the Albigenses, A.q). 1226, Avignon was taken by Louis VIII. king of France; and in 1273, it was ceded to the pope, with the adjoin ing territory, by his grandson Philip III. In 1309, , Clement V. transferred the papal court from Rome to Avignon. From that time its importance began rapidly to increase. Magnificent palaces arose for the accommodation of the pope and-cardinals ; new luxuries were introduced, and the simple abodes of the Albigenses were now filled with the vices and corruptions of a profligate priesthood. For 70 years the successors of St Peter had abandoned the sacred walls of the Vatican, and even after the papal see was again removed to the banks of the Tiber, Avignon continued to be the residence of a rival pope, until the accession of Martin V. in 1418. It was then erected into an archbishopric, and continued under the sovereignty of the popes till the late revolution in France, when it was declared a part of the repub lic. Population 30,000. E. Long. 4° 48' 25", N. Lat. 13° 56' 38". (p)