Clement V moved the papal court to Avignon in 1309, and the palace was the papal seat through the 14th century. Benedict XII ordered the Palais Vieux, whose architect was Pierre Poisson of Mirepoix. Clement VI commissioned Jean de Louvres for the Palais Neuf, which Innocent VI and Urban V then expanded.
The article calls it one of the best examples of International Gothic, the largest Gothic palace in Europe and the largest Gothic building of the Middle Ages. Its floor space is 160,000 square feet (15,000 m²). Twelve numbered towers are listed, and the Grand Chapel is 171 feet (52 m) long. Matteo Giovanetti painted frescoes in the Saint-Martial chapel in 1344 and 1345.
The palace was seized and sacked in 1789. It later served as barracks and a prison, was vacated in 1906 and became a national museum. UNESCO listed it in 1995, and it draws about 650,000 visitors a year.
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