1593-4 AD., France, Avignon, Comtat Venaissin, Pope Clement VIII , issued by vice-légat Silvio Savelli, Douzain, cf. Bd. 953.

France, Provincial, Avignon, Comtat venaissin, Pope Clement VIII / Clément VIII (1592-1605), issued by vice-légat Silvio Savelli, 1593-4 AD.,
Douzain (21-24 mm / 1,68 g), billon,
Obv.: CLEMEN[S VIII PONTIF] MAX / C - C , shield with two crossed keys, flanked by C - C , tiara above. - (Clément VIII, grand pontife) écu sommé d'une tiare et accosté de C - C, un A dans l'écu sous les clés.
Rev.: [ + SIL SA]BELLVS VICE. LEG AVEN (date) , (Silvio Savelli, vice-légat d'Avignon) cross with two roses ans two lions in the angles. - croix échancrée, cantonnée aux 1 et 4 d’une rose, aux 2 et 3 d’un lion.
cf. Bd. 953 ; PA. 4330 ; NP. 19/207 ; cf. SCMF. 6433 .

Clément VIII est élu pape à 46 ans et fait publier la Vulgate commencée par Sixte Quint. Après la conversion d'Henri IV et son retour à la foi catholique ("Paris vaut bien une messe") en 1594, le pape lève l'excommunication qui pesait sur lui et essaie de reconstruire l'union des princes chrétiens contre le protestantisme mais il meurt en 1605.

Pope Clement VIII (24 February 1536 – 3 March 1605), born Ippolito Aldobrandini, was Pope from 30 January 1592 to 3 March 1605.

The Comtat Venaissin, often called the Comtat for short (Occitan: lo Comtat Venaicin), is the former name of the region around the city of Avignon in what is now the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of France. It comprised roughly the area between the Rhône, the Durance and Mont Ventoux, with a small exclave located to the north around the town of Valréas. The entire region was an enclave within the Kingdom of France. The Comtat also bordered (and mostly surrounded) the Principality of Orange. Avignon itself was, however, never part of the Comtat but constituted a separate comtat (county) in its own right, in effect forming an enclave within an enclave. The region is still known informally as the Comtat Venaissin, although this no longer has any political meaning.