List of personalities of the city of Avignon

There are numerous personalities associated with the city of Avignon and its history. Avignon has not only produced countless sons and daughters , but has also shaped many famous people from outside the country . These include above all popes and cardinals ( Annibaldus von Ceccano , Hélie de Talleyrand-Périgord ...), former or current politicians, military personnel ( Juan Fernández de Heredia , Raymond de Turenne ...), athletes , sculptors ( Jean-Pierre Gras , Camille Claudel ...) ), Painters ( Claude Joseph Vernet , members of the first ( Simone Martini , Matteo Giovannetti ) and second schools of Avignon ( Enguerrand Quarton , Nicolas Froment ) or the Groupe des Treize ), architects ( Pierre Mignard , Jean Péru , Jean-Baptiste Franque ... ), Singers ( Fernand Sardou , Mireille Mathieu ...), writers ( Henri Bosco , Pierre Boulle , René Girard ...) and poets ( Francesco Petrarca , Alain Chartier , Théodore Aubanel or other members of the Félibrige ).

sons and daughters of the town

Military personnel

Jean-Charles de Folard (1669–1752), officer and war theorist
Jean Étienne Benoît Duprat (1752–1809), general and revolutionary
Joseph Agricol Viala (1780–1793), National Guard
Philipp Toussaint Joseph Bordone (1821-1892), General

Artist

Pierre II. Mignard (1640–1725), painter and architect, member of the Académie royale d'architecture
Jean Péru (1650–1723), sculptor and architect
Jean-Joseph Mouret (1682–1738), musician
Claude Joseph Vernet (1714–1789), painter
Jean-Claude Trial (1732–1771), violin player and composer
Jean-Baptiste Cartier (1765–1841), violinist, violin teacher, composer and music publisher
Évariste de Valernes (1816–1896), painter
Antoine Louis Roussin (1819–1894), painter and lithographer
Édouard Imer (1820–1881), painter
Pierre Grivolas (1823–1906), painter
Paul-Agricole Génin (1832–1903), flautist and composer
Paul Saïn (1853–1908), painter
Claude Firmin (1864–1944), painter and art educator
Jules Flour (1864–1921), genre painter and art educator
Jean-Pierre Gras (1879–1964), sculptor, member of the Group of Thirteen
Victor Crumière (1895–1950), painter
Olivier Messiaen (1908–1992), composer
Fernand Sardou (1910–1976), singer and actor
Jean-Claude Malgoire (1940–2018), oboist, musicologist and conductor
Antoine Saint-John (born 1940), actor
Guy Bonnet (born 1945), singer
Mireille Mathieu (* 1946), variety singer
Rémi Charmasson (1961), jazz musician
Christophe Rousset (* 1961), harpsichordist and conductor
Lionel Garcin (* 1972), jazz and improvisation musician
Emma Daumas (born 1983), singer

athlete

Camille Ayglon-Saurina (* 1985), handball player
Philippe Gache (* 1962), racing car driver and racing team owner
Éric Di Meco (born 1963), football player
Jean Alesi (* 1964), Formula 1 driver
Fabrice Soulier (* 1969), poker player
Boris Chambon (* 1975), motorcyclist
Cédric Carrasso (* 1981), football player
Jonathan Lacourt (* 1986), football player
Benoît Paire (* 1989), tennis player
Younès Belhanda (* 1990), football player
Samuel Gigot (* 1993), French football player
Mathias Bourgue (* 1994), tennis player

Philosopher, poet and writer

Abraham Farissol (1451–1525 / 1526), author, Bible commentator and geographer
Théodore Aubanel (1829–1886), Provencal poet, co-founder of the Félibrige
Henri Bosco (1888–1976), writer
Pierre Boulle (1912-1994), writer
René Girard (1923–2015), cultural anthropologist and religious philosopher
Yves Berger (1931-2004), writer
Mazarine Pingeot (* 1974), writer

Other

Maiolus (910-994), Benedictine and Abbot of Cluny
Laura de Noves (1310-1348), muse of Francesco Petrarch
Franz Lambert von Avignon (1487–1530), Protestant theologian, reformer of the Landgraviate of Hesse
Alexandre de Rhodes (1591–1660), Jesuit and missionary
Jean-François Faure (1701–1785), surgeon
Marie Duronceray (1727–1772), actress and writer
Étienne André François de Paule Fallot de Beaumont de Beaupré (1750-1835), bishop
Gaston de Raousset-Boulbon (1817-1854), adventurer
Esprit Requien (1788–1851), botanist
Yves Delage (1854-1920), zoologist
Guy Héraud (1920–2003), politician
Bernard Kouchner (* 1939), doctor and politician
Christian Audigier (1958–2015), fashion designer and entrepreneur

Other personalities related to the city

Popes

Pope Benedict XII.

Clement V (1264-1314)
John XXII. (1244-1334)
Benedict XII. (1285–1342)
Clement VI. (1291-1352)
Innocent VI. (1282-1362)
Urban V. (1310-1370)
Gregory XI. (1329-1378)
Clement VII (1342-1394)
Benedict XIII. (1329-1423)

Legates and vice-delegates

Charles II de Bourbon , legate of Avignon

Pierre d'Ailly (1350–1420), legate from 1418 to 1420
Charles II. De Bourbon (1433–1488), legate from 1472 to 1476
Giuliano della Rovere (1443–1513), legate from 1476 to 1503
Georges d'Amboise (1460–1510), legate from 1503 to 1510
Alessandro Farnese (1520–1589), legate from 1541 to 1565
Charles de Bourbon (1523–1590), legate from 1565 to 1590
Scipione Caffarelli Borghese (1577–1633), legate from 1607 to 1621
Francesco Barberini (1597–1679), legate from 1623 to 1633
Antonio Barberini (1607–1671), legate from 1633 to 1644
Jules Mazarin (1602–1661), vice delegate from 1634 to 1637
Pietro Ottoboni (1610–1691), legate from 1690 to 1691

Military personnel

Juan Fernández de Heredia (1310–1396), Spanish captain in the army of the County of Venaissin and Grand Master of the Order of St. John in Rhodes
Raymond de Turenne (1352–1413), Vice Count of Turenne, papal captain in Italy and captain of the papal army of the county of Venaissin
Mathieu Jouve Jourdan (1746–1794), revolutionary, honorary title Coupe-tête (head cutter)

Professionally, artistically or politically active

Laura and Francesco Petrarca

Frédéric Mistral

Annibaldus von Ceccano (1282-1350), Italian cardinal, built a cardinal palace in Avignon
Francesco Petrarca (1304–1374), poet, met Laura on April 6, 1327 at the exit of the church of Sainte-Claire d'Avignon

Adalbertus Ranconis de Ericinio (1320–1388), Czech theologian and philosopher, was temporarily papal administrator in Avignon

Matteo Giovannetti (1322–1368), painter at the Papal Palace at the time of Clement VI.

Philippe de Mézières (1327–1405), chamberlain to the King of Cyprus, had a play in the local language for the first time in Avignon in 1372

Johannes Ciconia (1330–1412), composer in the service of the Vice Count of Turenne

Francesco Datini (1335–1410), most important merchant in Europe during the papal era of Avignon

Clément de La Rovère (1462–1504), great-nephew of Sixtus IV , from 1495 to 1502 deputy of the legate of Avignon, Giuliano della Rovere , his uncle, Primicerius of the University of Avignon

Nostradamus (1503–1566), studied for a year at the University of Avignon, but dropped out because of the plague

Armand-Jean du Plessis, duc de Richelieu (1585–1642), cardinal and minister under Louis XIII. , went into exile in Avignon from 1618 to 1619

Athanasius Kircher (1602–1680), astronomer

Anne Marguerite Petit Du Noyer (1663–1719), journalist, lived in Avignon for a long time

Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683–1764), organist at Avignon Cathedral

Jean Althen (1710–1774), agronomist, initiated the cultivation of madder

Joseph-Michel Montgolfier (1740–1810), discovered the principle of the hot air balloon in Avignon in 1782

Fabre d'Églantine (1750–1794), artistic director at the Comedy Theater in Avignon

Eugène Viollet-le-Duc (1814–1879), implemented numerous plans to rebuild the city walls

Jean-Henri Fabre (1823–1915), writer and entomologist, taught in Avignon from 1853 to 1871

Frédéric Mistral (1830–1914), writer and Nobel Prize winner, attended a high school in Avignon

Alphonse Daudet (1840–1897), first stay at the age of 15, several encounters with the Félibrige movement

Stephane Mallarme (1842-1898), several stays (1864-1866) to the Félibriges to meet

Édouard Daladier (1884–1970), Council President and Mayor of Avignon

Elsie Kühn-Leitz (1903–1985), honorary citizen of Avignon

Willy Ronis (1910–2009), photographer, professor at the École des Beaux-Arts d'Avignon

Jean Vilar (1912–1971), founder of the Avignon Festival

René Haby (1919–2003), French Minister of Education, former headmaster of the Lycée Frédéric-Mistral

Daniel Auteuil (* 1950), an actor born in Algeria, spent his childhood in Avignon

Angelo Parisi (* 1953), judoka, judo teacher in Avignon

Mohammed Moussaoui (* 1964), mathematician, lecturer at the University of Avignon

Died in Avignon

Marshal Brune

Camille Claudel

William I of Provence (955–993), called “the liberator”, first Count of Avignon, then Count of Provence
Bénézet (1165–1184), gave the impetus for the construction of the St. Bénézet Bridge
Jean Lemoine (1250-1313), cardinal
Gilles I. Aycelin de Montaigut († 1318), Archbishop of Narbonne and Rouen, Chancellor of the French King
Amadeus V of Savoy (1249–1323), called "the Great", Count of Savoy, Aosta and Maurienne
Simone Martini (1280 / 1285–1344), painter at the papal court of Benedict XII.
Hélie de Talleyrand-Périgord (1301–1364), Cardinal of Périgord
Gilles II. Aycelin de Montaigut († 1378), Cardinal of Saints-Sylvestre-et-Martin
Peter of Luxembourg (1369-1387), Cardinal of Avignon
Jean Cadard (1374–1449), court physician, court master and advisor to Charles VII.
Alain Chartier (1385–1449), poet and secretary to Charles VII.
Enguerrand Quarton (1412–1466), painter and illuminator, representative of the second Avignon school
Francesco Laurana (1430–1502), sculptor and medalist, introduced the Italian Renaissance style to France
Nicolas Froment (1435–1486), painter, representative of the Second Avignon School
Charles de Lorraine (1524–1574), Duke of Chevreuse, Archbishop of Reims
César de Bus (1544–1607), founder of the Doctrinarier
François de Joyeuse (1562–1615), Cardinal Bishop of Ostia
Jean-Baptiste Franque (1683–1758), architect
Jean-Joseph Balechou (1715–1765), engraver
Guillaume Marie-Anne Brune (1763–1815), revolutionary general and marshal
John Stuart Mill (1806–1873), English philosopher, buried in Saint-Véran
Harriet Taylor Mill (1807-1858), English suffragette and wife of John Stuart Mill
Félix Gras (1844–1901), writer, poet and member of the Félibrige
Camille Claudel (1864–1943), sculptor, died in a psychiatric institution in Montdevergues (Montfavet)
Frans Masereel (1889–1972), Belgian graphic artist, painter and draftsman

literature

Paul Achard: Dictionnaire historique des rues et places de la ville d'Avignon. Ed. Seguin aîné, Avignon 1857.

Web links

Commons : Personalities of the city of Avignon - Collection of images, videos and audio files