Elected in 1362 while abbot of Saint-Victor in Marseille, Guillaume Grimoard took the name Urban V. He attempted to return the papacy to Rome before coming back to Avignon in 1370.
An abbot elected pope
Portrait of Urban V by Henri Serrur — Palais des Papes, AvignonGuillaume Grimoard was a Benedictine monk from the Gévaudan. His election, although he was not a cardinal, brought an abbot with diplomatic experience to the head of the Church. He retained a strong monastic outlook.
Reform and insecurity in Provence
Urban V sought to reform Church life amid war and instability. Mercenary companies threatened Provence and the Rhône valley. Efforts to move them away, alongside crusading projects and negotiations between powers, occupied part of his activity.
Urban V’s departure for Rome — Avignon municipal library
The stay in Rome and return to Avignon
The pope left Avignon in April 1367 and reached Rome in the autumn. Political difficulties and tensions in the Papal States complicated his establishment there. He returned to Avignon in September 1370 and died there on 19 December. Gregory XI would later take up the project of returning to Rome.
Continue with the Palais des Papes and the history of the Avignon papacy.