Avignon
Avignon City at the confluence of the Rhône and Durance rivers, Vaucluse department, Provence, se France. A thriving city under Roman rule, it was the seat of the Popes during their exile from Rome in the 14th century. There is a Papal Palace begun in 1316 and a Romanesque cathedral. The papacy held Avignon until 1791, when it was annexed to France by the Revolutionary authorities. Industries: tourism. soap, wine, grain, leather. Pop. (1999) 88,312 (metropolitan, 253,580).
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Avignon
