Palais des Papes

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Palais des Papes (French Palais des papes d'Avignon.) - a monument of history and architecture in Avignon, France. UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the largest palaces in Evrope.Avinon became the seat of popes in 1309, when the Gascon Bertrand de Goth, known as the V Pope Clement, shortly after the defeat of Pope Boniface VIII in the conflict with the King of France Philip IV the Fair, he moved to Avignon. This town, which belonged to the Counts of Provence, Pope Clement VI bought in 1348 in the property. In Avignon, the Pope felt much more secure than in the troubled Rome, where there were sharp conflicts between the aristocratic clans. In addition, the Papal States in central Italy then actually disintegrated. Spent period of the heads of the Catholic Church in the city (1309-1377) became known as the "Avignon Papacy".