Avignon was home to 7 popes (1309-1377) and 2 anti-popes (1378-1403), all Frenchmen. It started with Clement V refusing to relocate to Rome after his election as Pope, due to fear of assassination. This series of 7 popes was referred as the "Babylonian Captivity of the Papacy". After Pope Gregory XI moved back to Rome in 1377 and died there the next year, dissident cardinals elected their own line of popes, who made Avignon their homes and was labeled by the Church as illegitimate anti-popes. This was the West Schism that included another line of anti-popes in Pisa. All three popes/anti-popes were deposed and a new pope was elected at the Council of Constance in 1415. Another travesty at Constance was the condemnation and execution of Protestant forerunner Jan Hus as a heretic.
The old city of Avignon is dominated by the Papal Palace, a medieval fortress built in two phases, the old palace built under Benedict XII (1334-42) and the new palace under Clement VI (1342-52). Another important historical site is the medieval Pont Saint-Bénézet (commonly known as Avignon Bridge) spanning the Rhône River.