Avignon
Avinhon (Occitan) | |
|---|---|
Prefecture and commune | |
 .jpg) .jpg) .jpg)   From top: skyline of the city centre, Rocher des Doms, Palais des Papes, Pont Saint-Bénézet, Avignon Cathedral, Festival d'Avignon | |
 Coat of arms | |
Location of Avignon  | |
  Avignon  Avignon | |
| Coordinates: 43°57′00″N 04°48′27″E / 43.95000°N 4.80750°E | |
| 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 (2020–2026) | Cécile Helle[1] (PS) |
Area 1 | 64.78 km2 (25.01 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[2] | 90,330 |
| • Density | 1,400/km2 (3,600/sq mi) |
| • Urban (2020[3]) | 459,533 |
| • Metro (2020[4]) | 337,039 |
| 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) |
| 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. | |
Avignon (/ˈævɪnjɒ̃/, US also /ˌævɪnˈjoʊn/,[5][6][7] French: [aviɲɔ̃] ; Provençal: Avinhon (Classical norm) or Avignoun (Mistralian norm), IPA: [aviˈɲun]; Latin: Avenio) is the prefecture of the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the left bank of the river Rhône, the 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 medieval walls. It is France's 35th-largest metropolitan area according to INSEE with 337,039 inhabitants (2020),[4] and France's 13th-largest urban unit with 459,533 inhabitants (2020).[3] Its urban area was the fastest-growing in France from 1999 until 2010 with an increase of 76% of its population and an area increase of 136%.[8] The Communauté d'agglomération du Grand Avignon, a cooperation structure of 16 communes, had 197,102 inhabitants in 2022.[9]
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 city is now the capital of the Vaucluse department and one of the few French cities to have preserved its city walls. This is why Avignon is also known as 'La Cité des Papes' (The City-State of Popes).
The historic centre, which includes the Palais des Papes, the cathedral and the Pont d'Avignon, became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995 because of its architecture and importance during the 14th and 15th centuries.[10] The medieval monuments and the annual Festival d'Avignon – one of the world's largest festivals for performing arts[11] – have helped to make the town a major centre for tourism.
- ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 6 June 2023.
- ^ "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
- ^ a b INSEE. "France par unité urbaine - Population municipale 2020 >> Tableau". Retrieved 17 February 2023.
- ^ a b INSEE. "France par aire d'attraction des villes - Population municipale 2020 >> Tableau". Retrieved 17 February 2023.
- ^ Wells, John C. (2008). Longman Pronunciation Dictionary (3rd ed.). Longman. ISBN 978-1-4058-8118-0.
- ^ Jones, Daniel (2011). Roach, Peter; Setter, Jane; Esling, John (eds.). Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary (18th ed.). Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-15255-6.
- ^ "Avignon"[dead link] (US) and "Avignon". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 22 March 2020.
- ^ "L'aire urbaine d'Avignon: une nouvelle échelle de réflexion territoriale" (PDF). 2012.
- ^ "Grand Avignon, un pont vers l'avenir". Archived from the original on 17 February 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
- ^ "Historic Centre of Avignon: Papal Palace, Episcopal Ensemble and Avignon Bridge". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
- ^ "France restores one of world's largest theatre festivals – with masks and health restrictions". The Local France. 5 July 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2022.