Avignon: Commune in Vaucluse, France

It is the capital (prefecture) of the Vaucluse department.

Avignon
Prefecture and commune
From top: Skyline, Rocher des Doms, Palais des Papes, Avignon Cathedral, Festival d'Avignon, Pont Saint-Bénézet
Coat of arms
Location of Avignon
Avignon Show map of France Avignon Show map of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Coordinates: 43°57′N 4°49′E / 43.95°N 4.81°E / 43.95; 4.81
Country	France
Region	Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Department	Vaucluse
Arrondissement	Avignon
Canton	Avignon-1, Avignon-2, Avignon-3
Intercommunality	CA Grand Avignon
Government
• Mayor (2014–2020)	Cécile Helle (PS)
Area 1	64.78 km2 (25.01 sq mi)
Population  (2015)	92,130
• Density	1,400/km2 (3,700/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	84007 /84000
Elevation	10–122 m (33–400 ft) (avg. 23 m or 75 ft)
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name	Historic Centre of Avignon: Papal Palace, Episcopal Ensemble and Avignon Bridge
Criteria	Cultural: i, ii, iv
Reference	228
Inscription	1995 (19th Session)
Area	8.2 ha
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

The historical 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.

The earliest forms of the name were reported by the Greeks:

• Аὐενιὼν = Auenion
• Άουεννίων = Aouennion (Ptolemy II, x).

The Roman name Avennĭo Cavarum (Mela, II, 575, Pliny III, 36), i.e. "Avignon of Cavares" shows that Avignon was one of the three cities of the tribe of Cavares, along with Cavaillon and Orange.

Between 1309 and 1377, during the Avignon Papacy, seven successive popes lived in Avignon and in 1348 Pope Clement VI bought the town from Joanna I (Italian: Giovanna I; March 1328 – 27 July 1382) was Queen of Naples and Countess of Provence.

Papal control persisted until 1791 when, during the French Revolution, it became part of France.

Avignon is on the left bank of the Rhône river, a few kilometres above its confluence with the Durance, about 580 km (360 mi) southeast of Paris, 229 km (142 mi) south of Lyon and 85 km (53 mi) northwest of Marseille.

It has an area of 64.78 km² (25.01 sq mi) and its average altitude is 66 m (217 ft); at the city hall, the altitude is 19 m (62 ft).

Avignon and its neighboring communes

On the west Avignon shares a border with the department of Gard and to the south it borders the department of Bouches-du-Rhône.

Avignon is surrounded by the communes Sorgues, Le Pontet, Vedène, Morières-lès-Avignon and Caumont-sur-Durance and the departments Bouches-du-Rhône (communes of Noves, Châteaurenard, Rognonas and Barbentane) and Gard (communes of Les Angles and Villeneuve-lès-Avignon).

The Rhône, the Durance (tributary of the Rhône) and the L'Anguillon (tributary of the Durance) are the rivers flow through the commune.

The Rhône passes the western edge of the city but is divided into two branches: the Petit Rhône for the part that passes next to Avignon, and the Grand Rhône 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 Durance flows along the southern boundary of the commune into the Rhône and marks the departmental boundary with Bouches-du-Rhône.

Climate

The climate of Avignon, in the Köppen climate classification, is Csa - Oceanic climate with hot summers.

The average temperature for the year in Avignon is 14.4 °C (57.9 °F). The warmest month, on average, is July with an average temperature of 23.3 °C (73.9 °F). The coolest month on average is January, with an average temperature of 5 °C (41 °F).

The average amount of precipitation for the year in Avignon is 617.2 mm (24.3 in). The month with the most precipitation on average is October with 83.8 mm (3.3 in) of precipitation. The month with the least precipitation on average is January with an average of 22.9 mm (0.9 in).

The inhabitants of Avignon are known, in French, as Avignonnais (women: Avignonnaises).

With a population of 92,209, Avignon has a population density of 1,423 inhabitants/km².

Evolution of the population in AvignonT

Rail

Avignon has three train stations: Gare d'Avignon Centre, Gare d'Avignon TGV and Gare d'Avignon-Montfavet.

Avignon is the prefecture of the Vaucluse department since 1793. It is also the capital of the arrondissement of Avignon and the administrative centre (French: chef-lieu) of three cantons, all formed with part of the commune:

1. Avignon-1 : 30,134 inhabitants (2014)
2. Avignon-2 : 34,426 inhabitants (2014)
3. Avignon-3 : 35,749 inhabitants (27,649 in Avignon and 8,100 in Morières-lès-Avignon) (2014)

It is part of the intercommunality Grand Avignon (French: Communauté d'agglomération du Grand Avignon).

Sister cities

Avignon is twinned with:

•   Guanajuato (Mexico) since 1990.
•   Ioannina (Greece) since 1984.
•   New Haven (USA) since 1993.
•   Siena (Italy) since 1981.
•   Tarragona (Spain) since 1968.
•   Wetzlar (Germany) since 1960.

Some interesting places in Avignon are:

• The Notre Dame des Doms cathedral (12th century).
• The Palais des Papes ("Papal Palace") (14th century).
• The Pont d'Avignon (the Pont Saint-Bénézet), a bridge best known for the famous French song Sur le pont d'Avignon.

 

View over the Rhône looking northeast, with the Pont Saint-Bénézet or "Pont d'Avignon" at left

•  
  The Pont d'Avignon with Mont Ventoux in the background.
•  
  Palais des Papes and the cathedral.
•  
  Historical centre of Avignon

• Avignon Papacy
• Arrondissement of Avignon
• Communes of the Vaucluse department