Canton of Valréas
Encyclopedia
The canton of Valréas, sometimes called the enclave des Papes ("Enclave of the Popes") is a canton
of the Vaucluse
département, a part of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
(PACA) région
in southern France
.
département, separated from the Vaucluse
proper by roughly 2.5 km at the closest point. Its four towns, Valréas
, Visan
, Grillon
and Richerenches
have a rich history. For the Vaucluse the Enclave des Papes is an exclave, for the Drôme it is an enclave.
s lived in Avignon
, in what is now France, and were under the influence of the French kings. During this period, known as the Avignon Papacy
, the city of Avignon and the adjacent Comtat Venaissin
were added to the Papal States
.
In 1316 a sickly man, whose reign as Pope one hoped would be short, was chosen by the Cardinals. Pope John XXII
surprised them; he died at the age of 89 after 18 years of pontifical reign. All of this, so the story goes, thanks to the excellent wines of the Valreas region. When he had travelled through Valreas he liked the wine so much that in 1317 he purchased the estate of Valreas. Pope Clement VI
later added the villages of Visan, Grillon and Richerenches. The Enclave des Papes was born.
Papal control persisted until the French Revolution
; in 1791 an unauthorized plebiscite was held and the inhabitants voted for annexation by France. The papacy did not, however, recognise this formally until 1814. The Enclave des Papes was incorporated first into the département of Drôme
but was later joined to the département of Vaucluse
.
Cantons of France
The cantons of France are territorial subdivisions of the French Republic's 342 arrondissements and 101 departments.Apart from their role as organizational units in certain aspects of the administration of public services and justice, the chief purpose of the cantons today is to serve as...
of the Vaucluse
Vaucluse
The Vaucluse is a department in the southeast of France, named after the famous spring, the Fontaine-de-Vaucluse.- History :Vaucluse was created on 12 August 1793 out of parts of the departments of Bouches-du-Rhône, Drôme, and Basses-Alpes...
département, a part of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur or PACA is one of the 27 regions of France.It is made up of:* the former French province of Provence* the former papal territory of Avignon, known as Comtat Venaissin...
(PACA) région
Régions of France
France is divided into 27 administrative regions , 22 of which are in Metropolitan France, and five of which are overseas. Corsica is a territorial collectivity , but is considered a region in mainstream usage, and is even shown as such on the INSEE website...
in southern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Location
The Enclave des Papes is located in the DrômeDrôme
Drôme , a department in southeastern France, takes its name from the Drôme River.-History:The French National Constituent Assembly set up Drôme as one of the original 83 departments of France on March 4, 1790, during the French Revolution...
département, separated from the Vaucluse
Vaucluse
The Vaucluse is a department in the southeast of France, named after the famous spring, the Fontaine-de-Vaucluse.- History :Vaucluse was created on 12 August 1793 out of parts of the departments of Bouches-du-Rhône, Drôme, and Basses-Alpes...
proper by roughly 2.5 km at the closest point. Its four towns, Valréas
Valréas
Valréas is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.-History:The area around the town of Valréas is known as L'Enclave des Papes. It is an enclave of Vaucluse, surrounded by the department of the Drôme. The foundation of the Enclave began...
, Visan
Visan
Visan is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.-References:*...
, Grillon
Grillon
Grillon is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.It lies approximately 6 km from the Chateau and village of Grignan.-References:*...
and Richerenches
Richerenches
Richerenches is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.-Truffles:...
have a rich history. For the Vaucluse the Enclave des Papes is an exclave, for the Drôme it is an enclave.
History
From 1305 to 1378, the PopePope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
s lived in Avignon
Avignon
Avignon is a French commune in southeastern France in the départment of the Vaucluse bordered by the left bank of the Rhône river. Of the 94,787 inhabitants of the city on 1 January 2010, 12 000 live in the ancient town centre surrounded by its medieval ramparts.Often referred to as the...
, in what is now France, and were under the influence of the French kings. During this period, known as the Avignon Papacy
Avignon Papacy
The Avignon Papacy was the period from 1309 to 1376 during which seven Popes resided in Avignon, in modern-day France. This arose from the conflict between the Papacy and the French crown....
, the city of Avignon and the adjacent Comtat Venaissin
Comtat Venaissin
The Comtat Venaissin, often called the Comtat for short , is the former name of the region around the city of Avignon in what is now the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of France. It comprised roughly the area between the Rhône, the Durance and Mont Ventoux, with a small exclave located to the...
were added to the Papal States
Papal States
The Papal State, State of the Church, or Pontifical States were among the major historical states of Italy from roughly the 6th century until the Italian peninsula was unified in 1861 by the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia .The Papal States comprised territories under...
.
In 1316 a sickly man, whose reign as Pope one hoped would be short, was chosen by the Cardinals. Pope John XXII
Pope John XXII
Pope John XXII , born Jacques Duèze , was pope from 1316 to 1334. He was the second Pope of the Avignon Papacy , elected by a conclave in Lyon assembled by Philip V of France...
surprised them; he died at the age of 89 after 18 years of pontifical reign. All of this, so the story goes, thanks to the excellent wines of the Valreas region. When he had travelled through Valreas he liked the wine so much that in 1317 he purchased the estate of Valreas. Pope Clement VI
Pope Clement VI
Pope Clement VI , bornPierre Roger, the fourth of the Avignon Popes, was pope from May 1342 until his death in December of 1352...
later added the villages of Visan, Grillon and Richerenches. The Enclave des Papes was born.
Papal control persisted until the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
; in 1791 an unauthorized plebiscite was held and the inhabitants voted for annexation by France. The papacy did not, however, recognise this formally until 1814. The Enclave des Papes was incorporated first into the département of Drôme
Drôme
Drôme , a department in southeastern France, takes its name from the Drôme River.-History:The French National Constituent Assembly set up Drôme as one of the original 83 departments of France on March 4, 1790, during the French Revolution...
but was later joined to the département of Vaucluse
Vaucluse
The Vaucluse is a department in the southeast of France, named after the famous spring, the Fontaine-de-Vaucluse.- History :Vaucluse was created on 12 August 1793 out of parts of the departments of Bouches-du-Rhône, Drôme, and Basses-Alpes...
.