The Papacy Moves to Avignon was the departure of the Papal See from Rome to Avignon under Clement V in the early fourteenth century. The relocation left Rome without the papal court until Gregory XI returned in 1376, a change invoked in the book to explain a story’s description of Rome as fallen from the head of the world to its tail.

The Move and Its Duration

Clement V transferred the Papal See to Avignon, where it remained throughout the reigns of five succeeding popes. During that period, the papal court was absent from Rome; the account gives no further explanation for the decision to move.

Return to Rome

In 1376, Gregory XI again took up residence in Rome, ending the interval in which the city had been abandoned by the papal court. The move and return thus frame a prolonged change in the location of papal authority, rather than a brief absence.

Historical Context in the Book

A footnote connects the relocation to a remark about Rome’s diminished standing. In the story of Pietro Boccamazza and Agnolella, Rome is called once the world’s head and, in the story’s present, its tail; the note explains that the papal court’s removal and long absence are the circumstance behind this allusion.