# Avignon Papacy begins (1309)

URL: https://christianity-history.com/timeline/1309-avignon-papacy-begins
Location: Avignon, France
Themes: Papacy

Pope Clement V settles in Avignon, where the popes reside until 1376. At this point in the timeline (1309), the Bishop of Rome was Pope Clement V (5 June 1305 – 20 April 1314).

## Why it matters
Avignon Papacy begins mattered because it shaped the authority, policy or public role of the papacy and the Catholic Church.

Pope at the time: [Pope Clement V](https://christianity-history.com/popes/pope-clement-v)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Avignon Papacy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avignon_Papacy)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Avignon Papacy begins](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Avignon+Papacy+begins)
- [Wikipedia — Medieval Church (period overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Catholic_Church#Middle_Ages)