Avignon is a French commune in southeastern France in the départment of the Vaucluse bordered by the left bank of the Rhône river.
Between 1309 and 1377 during the Avignon Papacy, seven successive popes resided in Avignon.
The town was sold to the papacy by Countess Jeanne of Provence in 1348. 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
ramparts. The historic centre, which includes the Palais des Papes, the cathedral and the
Saint-Bénézet Bridge, was classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1995.