In 1303, the construction of the Palazzo dei Papi began in Avignon, France, marking the start of a significant architectural project that would eventually serve as the residence of the popes. This period saw the papacy's relocation from Rome to Avignon, which had profound implications for the Catholic Church and European politics. The Palazzo became a symbol of papal power and influence, shaping the cultural landscape of the region and beyond.

The Avignon Papacy influenced many poets and writers of the time, including Petrarch, who expressed his views on the church's political entanglements in his works. The architectural grandeur of the Palazzo also inspired poetic descriptions of power and spirituality, contributing to the development of Renaissance humanism and its literary expressions.