The Palais des Papes of Avignon was built in less than twenty years from 1335 on the initiative of two builder popes, Benedict XII (1334-1342) and his successor Clement VI (1342-1352). The symbol of the Church's influence on the Christian Occident in the 14th century, it is the most important Gothic palace in the Western world and one of the most visited monuments in France with 700,000 annual visitors. With a floor area of 49,212 square ft (15,000 m²), it covers a considerable volume equivalent to that of four Gothic cathedrals.