Last modified: 2004-12-22 by ivan sache
Keywords: comtat venaissin | avignon | keys: 2 (yellow) | knot (blue) |
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The Comtat Venaissin is limited by the rivers Rhône
and Durance and the Mount Ventoux. It is named after its former
capital city Venasque (Vindascinum), now a village of 600
inhabitants with one of the oldest Merovingian baptistries in France
(VIth century). The capital city of the Comtat was moved in 1320 to
Carpentras, where bishop Malachie d'Inguimbert founded in 1745 the
famous Inguimbertine Library.
The city of Avignon was never part of the Comtat Venaissin, but
constituted with its outskirts the Comtat of Avignon.
In the XIIIth century, the Comtat Venaissin belonged to Alphonse de Poitiers (1220-1271), a Capetian prince, sun of king of France Louis VIII and count of Poitiers and Toulouse. Alphonse bequeathed the Comtat to the Holy See, which incorporated it in 1274. At that time, the Comtat of Avignon still belonged to the county of Provence. On 19 June 1348, countess Jeanne (1326-1382), better known as queen Jeanne de Naples, sold Avignon to pope Clement VI. Avignon and the Comtat Venaissin then formed the 'Papal enclave', which developed independently from France.
The economical and cultural development of the enclave encouraged
the kings of France to attempt to grab it. The enclave was taken over
by the French troops in 1663, 1668 and 1768-1774. Under the reign of
Louis XIV, Colbert imposed extremely high customs dues. Louis XV, in
1734, forbid the Comtadins to grow tobacco and manufacture printed
calicos (indiennes). However, the enclave remained a peaceful
area where people did not pay taxes and were not subjected to
military service.
In 1791, the bourgeois and the merchants of Avignon promoted the
incorporation of the enclave to France, which was effective on 14
September 1791. The Holy See recognized the annexion only in 1814.
Ivan Sache, 12 January 2003
The banner of arms of the Comtat Venaissin is:
De gueules aux deux clefs d'or passées en sautoir, liées d'azur (GASO)
The keys are St. Peter's keys, and refer to the spiritua