Urban V (Urbanus V), born William of Grimoard at Grizac Castle in the mountains of Gévaudan in 1310, and died in Avignon on December 19, 1370, was the sixth pope of Avignon and one of the greatest in that line. The Holy See counts him as the 200th pope of the Catholic Church, successor to Innocent VI and predecessor to Gregory XI.[1][2]
His election on September 28, 1362, is one of the most unusual of the Middle Ages: a Benedictine monk and great canon lawyer, abbot of Saint-Victor of Marseille, William of Grimoard was not a cardinal and was on a diplomatic mission in Italy when the divided Avignon conclave turned to him as a fresh man, untainted by curial intrigues.[3][4] Upon becoming pope, he kept the black habit of Saint Benedict beneath the pontifical insignia and continued to live according to the monastic rule—an austerity that stood out in an Avignon court known for its splendor.[5][6]
His pontificate pursued three major undertakings. As a reformer, he fought absenteeism, pluralism, and simony, and showed rare rigor even toward his own family.[7] As a protector of letters, he founded or endowed the universities of Krakow, Vienna, and Orange, revived the medical school of Montpellier, and supported thousands of poor students across Christendom.[8][9] But his most famous act was to bring the papacy back to Rome: on October 16, 1367, after more than sixty years of exile on the banks of the Rhône, he passed through the gates of the Eternal City, the first pope to reside there since 1304.[10][11]
It was in Rome that he received, in October 1369, the most brilliant event of his reign: the personal submission of the Byzantine emperor John V Palaiologos, who renounced the schism and professed the Catholic faith at the foot of the steps of Saint Peter’s.[12][13] Yet, despite the pleas of Petrarch and the prophetic warning of Saint Bridget of Sweden, Urban V decided to return to Avignon in September 1370—and died there three months later, as the saint had foretold.[14][15] The only pope of Avignon to be raised to the altars, he was beatified by Pius IX on March 10, 1870.[16]
Why Does Blessed Urban V Matter?
The Benedictine Monk on the Chair of Peter
The first striking trait is spiritual. At the heart of the Avignon papacy, a period often criticized for its luxury and worldliness, Urban V embodies an exception of holiness. Raised from childhood in the school of Saint Benedict, professed at the priory of Chirac, he never renounced his primary vocation: upon becoming pope, he kept the monastic habit and observance of the rule.[17][18] This fidelity was not an ascetic affectation: it shaped his entire reform policy. A pope who lived poorly could demand that bishops reside in their dioceses and that clerics renounce pluralism. Urban V’s holiness was the driving force of his governance.
The Pope Who Brought the Papacy Back to Rome
The second trait is historical. Since 1309, the popes had resided in Avignon, an enclave of the Kingdom of France; all Christendom murmured against this exile far from the tomb of the apostles. Urban V was the first pope to dare the return: despite fierce opposition from French cardinals and the instability of the Papal States, he left Avignon in 1367 and restored the Holy See to Rome.[19][20] The return lasted only three years, and it took Gregory XI and then the Great Schism to settle the question; but Urban V had shown the way. Without him, the definitive return of 1377 would have been unthinkable.
The Blessed of Avignon
The third trait is devotional. Of the nine popes of Avignon, only one was beatified: Urban V.[21][22] In the days following his death, miracles were reported at his tomb in Saint-Victor of Marseille, and his cult spread throughout Western Europe.[23] Five centuries later, Pius IX confirmed this immemorial devotion. Blessed Urban V thus remains the holy face of the Avignon papacy—proof that amid a troubled era, grace could raise a monk from Gévaudan to the summit of the Church and to the glory of the altars.
Main Sources
Our knowledge of Urban V primarily relies on his pontifical acts — the vast correspondence of bulls and letters from his reign, partly published in the collections of historians from the French School of Rome, a key reference tool for dating his decisions.[24] For the biographical framework — his Gévaudan origins, monastic career, election in 1362, reform efforts, return to Rome, and death in 1370 — the standard accounts cross-check and verify each fact: the article “Pope Bl. Urban V” in the Catholic Encyclopedia (New Advent), as well as modern French and English encyclopedic articles, provide a reliable framework.[25][26][27]
For two crucial episodes — the submission of John V Palaiologos (1369) and the warning from Saint Bridget of Sweden (1370) — valuable contemporary sources exist: Byzantine and Latin chronicles for the former, Bridget’s Revelations and documentation from her cause for the latter.[28][29] Finally, regarding the edifying aspect of his figure — miracles, sanctity, austerity — critical caution is necessary: one carefully distinguishes what is attested by acts and chronicles from what belongs to later hagiographic tradition, without dismissing outright the testimony of an ancient and continuous devotion, confirmed by the Church’s judgment in 1870.[30][31]
William of Grimoard, from Gévaudan to the Pontifical Throne
A Noble Childhood in the Mountains of Gévaudan
William of Grimoard was born in 1310 at the castle of Grizac, in the rugged mountains of Gévaudan, in the heart of Languedoc — today part of the commune of Pont-de-Montvert, in Lozère.[32][33] He belonged to a family of minor knightly nobility: his father, William II of Grimoard, lord of Grizac, and his mother, Amphélise (traditionally said to be of Montferrand), raised him in the faith.[34] Nothing about this provincial birth destined the child for the throne of Peter; yet Gévaudan, a harsh and devout land, would give the Church one of its most upright pontiffs.
Tonsured at the age of twelve, young William was entrusted to schooling and then higher studies.[35] Early on, he displayed two traits that would mark his entire life: a deep piety, nourished by monasticism, and an exceptional legal intellect, which would make him one of the greatest canonists of his time.
The Monk, the Jurist, the Professor
The decisive turning point was his entry into religious life. Around 1327, William of Grimoard took his vows as a Benedictine monk at the small priory of Chirac, near his native region; he was ordained priest there in 1334.[36][37] It was there, and later at the great Saint-Victor Abbey in Marseille, that he developed his unwavering love for the order of Saint Benedict — an attachment he would maintain even on the pontifical throne.[38]
At the same time, he completed a brilliant university curriculum. He studied civil law at Montpellier and Toulouse, then canon law and theology at Paris and Avignon, earning his doctorate in canon law in 1342.[39][40] Becoming a professor of canon law at Montpellier, also teaching in Toulouse, Paris, and Avignon, he gained a European reputation. This dual formation — the monk’s sacred knowledge and the canonist’s legal science — made him a well-rounded churchman, capable of governing Christianity’s most complex institution.
Abbot and Legate: The Popes’ Trusted Man
Dom William’s competence soon attracted the attention of the Avignon curia. Pope Clement VI appointed him abbot of Saint-Germain d’Auxerre in 1352, then, in 1361, transferred him to head the prestigious Saint-Victor Abbey in Marseille.[41][42] Above all, he was entrusted with delicate diplomatic missions in Italy: to the Visconti of Milan and in Naples, where he represented the Holy See’s interests in a peninsula torn by factions.[43][44]
It was precisely this reputation for integrity and competence, combined with his distance from curial factions, that made him the providential candidate of 1362. The Catholic Encyclopedia highlights this decisive point: he had never been a cardinal and had no ongoing relations with the Sacred College.[45] In the eyes of divided cardinals, this monk-jurist without curial ties appeared as the man capable of reforming without compromising.
The 1362 Election: A Monk Elected Pope in His Absence
A Conclave Seeking a Reformer
Upon the death of Innocent VI on September 12, 1362, the conclave opened in Avignon amid division. The cardinals, initially tempted to elevate one of their own to the papacy, faced insurmountable rivalries.[46] Unable to agree on a member of the Sacred College, they then turned to an outsider: the abbot of Saint-Victor, Guillaume de Grimoard, then on a mission in Italy.[47][48] On September 28, 1362, he was elected pope in his absence, without being a cardinal or bishop—a choice that clearly reflected the need for reform felt by the Church at that time.
Summoned in haste, Guillaume de Grimoard arrived in Avignon and received episcopal consecration and coronation on November 6, 1362, from Cardinal Audouin Aubert.[49][50] Thus, like a century earlier Urban IV, he became one of the rare popes elected from outside the Sacred College—proof that the medieval Church, in times of crisis, knew how to seek its leaders beyond the narrow circle of the curia.
Why the Name Urban?
The choice of name was no accident. When asked about his decision, the new pope reportedly replied with a phrase that has become famous, summarizing his entire spiritual program:
“I take the name Urban because all the popes who have borne this name have been saints.” — Urban V, on choosing his pontifical name, 1362[51]
This statement is not a mere formula. It expresses the ambition for holiness of a man who, upon ascending the throne of Peter, did not primarily see himself as a temporal prince but as a monk called to sanctify the Church. The announced program was fulfilled: of all the popes named Urban, it is precisely he, the sixth, whom the Church eventually inscribed in the catalog of the blessed.
A Reforming and Austere Pope
The Monk Who Kept His Habit
The most consistent trait in contemporary testimonies is Urban V’s personal austerity. Having become pope, he never abandoned the black habit of the Benedictines and continued to observe the monastic rule amid a court accustomed to luxury.[52][53] This simplicity—frugal meals, devoted prayer, rejection of ostentation—stood out in Avignon among the great cardinals and sometimes earned him the incomprehension of his peers, accustomed to a lavish lifestyle.[54]
Far from being eccentricity, this voluntary poverty was the moral foundation of his reforming authority. One can only effectively reform what one first embodies. The pope who lived as a monk could, without hypocrisy, call the clergy back to discipline.
The War on Abuses: Pluralism, Commendam, Nepotism
Urban V’s reform targeted the major wounds of the Church of his time. He fought the absenteeism of bishops who neglected their dioceses, the accumulation of benefices (pluralism) by which a single cleric held multiple offices and their revenues, and simony.[55] He also sought to raise the level of training and examination of the clergy, aware that an ignorant Church is a vulnerable Church.[56]
His rigor extended, a rare case, to his own family. The Catholic Encyclopedia reports that he refused offices and money to his relatives and even forced his own father to return a pension granted by the King of France.[57] This uprightness, however, had a human limit: Urban V nevertheless elevated his brother Anglic Grimoard to the cardinalate in 1366—a nuance that must be honestly mentioned, without erasing the reputation for probity of a man whose family austerity contrasted with the nepotistic customs of the century.[58]
The Father of Poor Students
Perhaps Urban V’s most distinguishing feature was his intellectual patronage. Convinced that the Church’s future depended on knowledge, he was one of the greatest protectors of universities in the entire Middle Ages. He founded or endowed several studia generalia, revived schools, and above all financially supported thousands of poor students, providing them with books and teachers so that no intellect would be lost for lack of means.[59][60]
The table below summarizes the main university foundations and favors of his pontificate—a record few popes matched:
| Institution | Act / Favor | Date |
|---|---|---|
| University of Pavia | Erection as studium generale | 1361-1363[61] |
| University of Krakow | Papal consent to its foundation | 1364[62] |
| University of Vienna (Austria) | Papal approval | 1365[63] |
| University of Orange | Erection as university | 1365[64] |
| Montpellier | Restoration of medical school, foundation of Saint Benedict College | 1364-1367[65] |
| Toulouse | Expansion of theology faculty (rights of Paris) | 1360s[66] |
| Bologna, Avignon, Trets | Support for poor students, studium of Trets | Pontificate[67] |
This concern for studious youth was not a prestige policy: it was a work of charity. By financing the education of the most destitute, Urban V applied on a Christian scale the Benedictine ideal that unites work, study, and prayer. During a visit to Montpellier, where he found the enlargement of a church he had commissioned too modest, he reportedly uttered this revealing remark about his building expectations:
“I had ordered a church to be built, and you have made only a chapel.” — Urban V, during his visit to Montpellier, January 1367[68]
The Grand Design: Bringing the Papacy Back to Rome
Sixty Years of Avignon Exile
To appreciate Urban V’s boldness, one must recall the situation. Since 1309, under French pressure, the popes had left Rome for Avignon, on the banks of the Rhône.[69] What the harshest contemporaries, following Petrarch, called the Church’s “Babylonian Captivity” had lasted for more than half a century. The curia had settled there, becoming Frenchified and enriched; Rome, abandoned, sank into factional anarchy and the ruin of its monuments.
All of Christendom demanded the pope’s return to the tomb of Saint Peter. But the cardinals, mostly French, feared troubled Italy and had no intention of leaving the comfort of Avignon. It would take a pope both holy and determined to overcome this.
Departure from Avignon (1367)
Urban V was that man. Defying the opposition of the cardinals and the insecurity of the roads, he meticulously prepared the return. On April 30, 1367, he left Avignon; on May 19, he embarked at Marseille on a fleet provided by the Italian powers; and on October 16, 1367, after stops at Corneto and Viterbo, he solemnly entered Rome—the first pope to set foot in his episcopal city in over sixty years.[70][71]
- April 30, 1367Departure from Avignon
Urban V leaves the papal palace, despite opposition from the French cardinals, to travel to Italy.
- May 19, 1367Embarkation at Marseille
The pope boards a fleet assembled by the Italian cities (Pisa, Genoa, Naples, Venice) for the crossing to Lazio.
- October 16, 1367Entry into Rome
After stops at Corneto and Viterbo, Urban V passes through the walls of Rome and settles at the Vatican: the first pope to reside there since 1304.
- October 1369Submission of John V Palaiologos
The Byzantine emperor renounces the schism and professes the Catholic faith at the foot of Saint Peter’s steps.
- September 5, 1370Return to Avignon
Yielding to the cardinals and Italian instability, the pope embarks again at Corneto for the Rhône.
Rome Reclaimed
The return was greeted with enthusiasm. Urban V settled at the Vatican, undertook to restore the dilapidated basilicas, and sought to raise the material and moral dignity of the city.[72][73] The poet Petrarch, tireless champion of the return, rejoiced; he had written to the pope urging him to remain in Italy and celebrated not the man but the virtue in him:
“It is not the man I celebrate, but that virtue which I love and admire with amazement.” — Petrarch, on Urban V[74]
But the endeavor ran up against the harsh Italian reality. The Papal States remained partly in revolt; mercenary companies—the routiers of Bertrand du Guesclin—ravaged the countryside; the pope’s temporal power, despite his presence, was not restored.[75][76] Rome reclaimed remained a precarious Rome.
The Emperor of Constantinople at Saint Peter’s Feet
The return to Rome made possible the most spectacular episode of the pontificate. Pressed by the advance of the Ottoman Turks, the Byzantine emperor John V Palaiologos personally came seeking help in the West. In Rome, in October 1369, he made an unprecedented gesture: he renounced the schism that had separated East from Rome since 1054 and publicly professed the Catholic faith, recognizing the pope as supreme head of the Church, at the foot of the steps of the basilica of Saint Peter.[77][78]
“Received by Urban V on the steps of Saint Peter, the emperor renounced the schism and made profession of the Catholic faith.” — from the Catholic Encyclopedia, article Pope Bl. Urban V[79]
The significance of this gesture must be weighed carefully. It was a personal submission of the emperor, not a union of the Churches: the Byzantine clergy and people did not follow, and the Greek schism persisted. But the event, accomplished in reclaimed Rome, had immense resonance and demonstrated what the pope’s presence at the apostles’ tomb made possible. It was also in Rome that Urban V received homage from King Peter I of Cyprus and Queen Joanna I of Naples, to whom he gave the Golden Rose in 1368.[80][81]
The Heads of Saint Peter and Saint Paul
The Roman stay was also marked by a great act of devotion to relics. Urban V had precious silver and gold bust reliquaries made to house the heads—the skulls—of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, venerated for centuries, and had them solemnly transferred to the basilica of Saint John Lateran, the pope’s cathedral, on March 2, 1370.[82][83] Placed above the papal altar at the Lateran, these relics made the archbasilica a major site of devotion to the two apostles who founded the Church of Rome—a highly symbolic gesture from a pope who wished to re-root the papacy in the very soil of its apostolic origin.
The Crusade and the Defense of Christendom
Peter I of Cyprus and the Capture of Alexandria (1365)
Like all the popes of his time, Urban V was concerned with the crusade against the Muslim advance. On March 29, 1363, King Peter I of Cyprus came to Avignon to plead for help against the Turks; on Good Friday, March 31, 1363, the pope preached the crusade and bestowed the cross upon the King of France John II the Good and the King of Cyprus.[84][85]
The expedition ended abruptly. John II the Good, held by the aftermath of his English captivity, died in London; but Peter of Cyprus, at the head of a fleet, captured Alexandria on October 11, 1365.[86] Seeing the enemy too numerous to hold the city, the crusaders plundered it and then abandoned it—a disappointing outcome that marked the end of the great medieval crusades in the East. Urban V also worked to drive out the mercenary companies that ravaged Provence and Italy, going so far as to excommunicate their leaders and negotiate their departure at a high price.[87]
The Fatal Return to Avignon
Saint Bridget of Sweden and the Prophecy
In the autumn of 1370, the Italian difficulties—revolts in the Papal States, threats from the Visconti, and relentless pressure from the French cardinals—led Urban V to return to Avignon.[88][89] It was then that one of the most striking episodes of his life occurred. The great mystic Saint Bridget of Sweden, who lived in Rome and fervently advocated for the pope to remain in Italy, met him at Montefiascone to solemnly warn him: if he returned to Avignon, he would soon die.[90][91]
“If the pope returns to Avignon, he will soon receive a deadly blow and must appear before the tribunal of God.” — warning attributed to Saint Bridget of Sweden to Pope Urban V, Montefiascone, 1370[92]
The pope did not heed the prophetess’s voice. On September 5, 1370, he embarked at Corneto, and on September 24, he returned to his palace in Avignon.[93][94] A few weeks later, he was bedridden.
“How a Pope Dies”
Urban V died in Avignon on December 19, 1370, less than three months after his return—just as Bridget had foretold.[95][96] Tradition holds that, faithful to his spirit of poverty and humility, he wished to die publicly and stripped bare, having the doors opened so that everyone could see how a pope dies—a moving detail that, whether true or embellished, faithfully reflects the memory the Church has kept of him: that of a poor monk beneath the tiara.[97]
His death paved the way for his successor Gregory XI, who would accomplish in 1377 the final return to Rome that Urban V had prepared—before the outbreak, upon Gregory’s death, of the Great Western Schism.
The Glory of the Altars: Blessed Urban V
The Tomb of Saint-Victor and the Miracles
Urban V was first buried at the Notre-Dame des Doms Cathedral in Avignon; but, according to his wish, his body was transferred on May 31, 1371, to the Saint-Victor Abbey in Marseille, the Benedictine monastery he had loved so much and where he had a tomb prepared.[98][99] Very quickly, his reputation for holiness turned into a cult: in the days following his death, miracles were attributed to him, and his tomb in Marseille attracted crowds of pilgrims from all over Western Europe.[100]
The Beatification of 1870
This popular cult, never extinguished, was finally recognized by the Church. On March 10, 1870, Pope Pius IX confirmed the immemorial cult of Urban V and proclaimed him blessed; his feast was set for December 19, the anniversary of his death.[101][102] To this day, he remains the only one of the nine Avignon popes elevated to the altars—a sign that, in a chapter often criticized in Church history, holiness had not deserted the throne of Peter.
Blessed Urban V thus leaves the memory of a complete pontiff: a monk faithful to his rule, a rigorous jurist, a fearless reformer, a patron of the poor and scholars, a pilgrim to Rome against all odds. His life answers in advance those who would reduce the Avignon papacy to a long period of worldliness: amid the splendor and compromises, a son of Gévaudan lived and died there a saint.
For Further Reading
- The Avignon Papacy — the context of the nine popes of the Rhône, among whom Urban V was the holiest figure.
- Pope Innocent VI (1352–1362) — his immediate predecessor on the Avignon throne.
- The Great Western Schism — the crisis that followed the definitive return to Rome prepared by Urban V.
- Pope Urban IV (1261–1264) and Blessed Urban II (c.1035–1099) — the other great pontiffs named Urban.
- The Basilica of Saint John Lateran — where Urban V transferred the heads of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in 1370.
- The Crusades — for the Crusade of Alexandria in 1365 preached by Urban V.
Notes and References
Wikipédia (French), article “Urbain V”: Guillaume de Grimoard born in 1310 at Château de Grizac (Gévaudan, now Le Pont-de-Montvert, Lozère), son of Guillaume II de Grimoard and Amphélise de Montferrand; Benedictine monk, doctor of canon law (1342), abbot of Saint-Germain d’Auxerre (1352) then Saint-Victor of Marseille (1361), legate in Italy; elected pope on 28 September 1362 in his absence, not a cardinal, crowned 6 November 1362; choice of the name Urban (“all popes of this name have been saints”); reform, university patronage, word from Montpellier; return to Rome (1367), golden rose to Joan of Naples (1368), excommunication of mercenaries; return to Avignon (5 September 1370, arrival 24 September), death 19 December 1370; beatified by Pius IX in 1870, feast day 19 December. URL: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urbain_V.
1 22 26 32 34 41 43 48 49 51 68 74 75 80 85 87 93 102Wikipedia (English), article “Pope Urban V”: Guillaume de Grimoard born 1310 at Château de Grizac (Lozère), son of the lord of Grizac, tonsured at 12, studied civil law at Montpellier and Toulouse, Benedictine at Chirac (1327), ordained 1334, doctorate in canon law (1342); abbot of Saint-Germain of Auxerre (1352) and Saint-Victor of Marseille (1361), papal legate to Italy; elected pope 28 September 1362 while not a cardinal and absent, crowned 6 November 1362; kept the Benedictine habit and rule as pope; worked against absenteeism, pluralism and simony; patron of learning — Pavia studium generale (14 April 1363), Kraków, Vienna, Orange, restored Montpellier medical school, College of Saint Benedict, more than 1,000 poor students supported; created his brother Anglic Grimoard cardinal (1366); returned to Rome (left Avignon 30 April 1367, embarked Marseille 19 May, entered Rome 16 October 1367), resided at the Vatican; received John V Palaiologos’s profession of faith (1369), homage of Peter I of Cyprus and Joan I of Naples; translated the heads of Peter and Paul to the Lateran; left Rome 5 September 1370 (Corneto), reached Avignon 24 September, died 19 December 1370; first buried at Notre-Dame des Doms, transferred 31 May 1371 to Saint-Victor of Marseille; miracles and cult, beatified by Pius IX 1870. URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Urban_V.
2 6 9 10 18 19 23 27 35 37 40 42 53 54 56 58 60 61 64 65 66 69 71 73 83 88 98 100Wikipédia (French) and Catholic Encyclopedia, on the 1362 papal election: death of Innocent VI on 12 September 1362; Avignon conclave divided, unable to agree on a cardinal; choice made of Guillaume de Grimoard, abbot of Saint-Victor of Marseille, then on mission in Italy and not a cardinal; election on 28 September 1362, coronation on 6 November 1362 by Cardinal Audouin Aubert. URL: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urbain_V.
3 46 47 50Catholic Encyclopedia (New Advent), article “Pope Bl. Urban V” (vol. XV): Guillaume de Grimoard born at Grisac in Languedoc 1310, died at Avignon 19 December 1370; knightly family, educated at Montpellier and Toulouse, Benedictine at Chirac, professed at Saint-Victor of Marseille “where he imbibed his characteristic love for the Order of St. Benedict; even as pope he wore its habit”; ordained at Chirac, doctorate in canon law 1342, one of the greatest canonists of his day, professor of canon law at Montpellier, also taught at Toulouse, Paris, Avignon; abbot of Saint-Germain of Auxerre and Saint-Victor of Marseille, legate to Italy; elected 28 September 1362 (not a cardinal), crowned 6 November 1362; reform of clergy against pluralities, austerity, refused money to relatives and made his own father refund a royal pension; patron of learning — universities of Cracow (1364) and Vienna (1365), poor students at Bologna, studium at Trets, Montpellier; departed Avignon 30 April 1367, sailed from Marseille 19 May, entered Rome 16 October 1367; Emperor John V Palaeologus “abjured the schism and was received by Urban on the steps of St. Peter’s” (1369); King Peter of Cyprus at Avignon 29 March 1363, crusade preached 31 March (Good Friday), Alexandria captured 11 October 1365; Petrarch and St Bridget of Sweden urged him to remain in Italy, Bridget foretold his death; embarked Corneto 5 September 1370, reached Avignon 24 September, died 19 December 1370; cult approved by Pius IX 1870, feast 19 December, body at Saint-Victor of Marseille. URL: https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15214a.htm.
4 5 7 8 11 13 15 17 20 25 31 33 36 38 39 44 45 52 55 57 59 62 63 67 70 72 76 78 79 81 84 86 89 91 94 95 97 99Wikipedia (English), article “John V Palaiologos”: Byzantine emperor John V Palaiologos (1332–1391), pressured by the Ottoman threat, traveled to the West and went to Rome where, in October 1369, he made his profession of Catholic faith in the presence of Pope Urban V and the cardinals, recognizing Roman primacy; this was a personal conversion and submission of the emperor, not followed by the Byzantine Church and people, thus without lasting union. URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_V_Palaiologos.
12 28 77Sources on Saint Bridget of Sweden (1303–1373) and her cause: the saint, living in Rome, advocated for the papacy to remain in Italy; in summer 1370, with her confessor Alfonso of Jaén, she joined Urban V at Montefiascone and warned him that if he returned to Avignon, he would die soon; the pope returned to Avignon on 24 September 1370 and died on 19 December 1370, fulfilling the prophecy. See the Revelations (Revelationes) of Saint Bridget and the standard biographical notices. The wording cited in the text is a French translation summarizing the content of the warning reported by tradition.
14 29 90 92 96Beatification Acts and reference notices: the immemorial cult of Guillaume de Grimoard, Pope Urban V, was confirmed by Pope Pius IX on 10 March 1870; Urban V was proclaimed blessed, his feast fixed on 19 December (day of his death); he is the only one of the nine Avignon popes to be beatified. Sources: Catholic Encyclopedia, article “Pope Bl. Urban V”; Wikipédia, article “Urbain V”. URL: https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15214a.htm.
16 21 30 101Letters and Bulls of Urban V: the pontificate’s acts (common and secret letters) have been critically edited in the collection of 14th-century papal registers published by the French Schools of Athens and Rome (registers and letters of the Avignon popes), a reference tool for dating and content of the reign’s decisions. These editions constitute the primary source of Urban V’s acts.
24Wikipédia, articles “Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran” and “Urban V”: solemn transfer by Pope Urban V of the relics venerated as the heads of Saint Peter and Saint Paul to the Lateran Basilica on 2 March 1370, and creation of precious bust reliquaries placed above the papal altar under the Gothic ciborium. URL: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archibasilique_Saint-Jean-de-Latran.
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