Avignon Papacy

The Avignon Papacy refers to a period from 1309 to 1377 when seven consecutive popes resided in Avignon, France, instead of Rome. This shift occurred after Pope Clement V moved the papal court there, largely influenced by political pressures from the French crown. It led to questions about the Church's authority and its ties to Rome. The period was marked by controversy and conflict, culminating in the Great Schism, where multiple claimants for the papacy emerged. It ended when Pope Gregory XI returned the papacy to Rome, restoring the Vatican's prominence in the Catholic Church.