Pope Benedict XII
1285 CE–1342 CE · Saverdun
Born Jacques Fournier near Foix, Benedict XII was a Cistercian monk and rigorous theologian before becoming pope at Avignon. As bishop of Pamiers he had conducted the meticulous inquisition recorded in the Fournier Register, a famous source on Cathar village life at Montaillou. As pope he was a determined reformer: he curbed bureaucratic abuses, disciplined the religious orders, and ordered the building of the great Palais des Papes, signaling Avignon's permanence. He settled the Beatific Vision dispute his predecessor had stirred. Austere and incorruptible but politically cautious, he failed to end the war between France and England or to return to Rome.
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Saverdun
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About Saverdun
Saverdun, a town in the Ariège of southwestern France. It was the birthplace of Jacques Fournier, the Cistercian who became Pope Benedict XII of Avignon.
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