[2] The Enclave des Papes is surrounded by the Drôme département, separated from the Vaucluse proper by roughly 2.5 km at the closest point.

In 1316 the Cardinals chose a sickly man, hoping that his reign as Pope would be short.

Pope John XXII surprised them; he died at the age of 89 after 18 years of pontifical reign.

Pope Clement VI later added the villages of Visan, Grillon and Richerenches.

Papal control persisted until the French Revolution; in 1791, an unauthorized plebiscite was held, and the inhabitants voted for annexation by France.