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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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.