Vienne

Vienne stands on the Rhône south of Lyon, a city whose ancient monuments include the temple of Augustus and Livia. It was an important ecclesiastical centre under its archbishops, and the cathedral of Saint Maurice rose above the river and the streets of the old town. In 1311–1312 Pope Clement V gathered a council at Vienne. Prelates and the French king Philip IV came to the city as the fate of the Knights Templar was debated, and the pope suppressed the order in 1312. For a time Vienne was a meeting place of powers from across Latin Christendom.