For strategic reasons, Avignon has historically developed between the Rhône, which constituted its first natural protective barrier, and the Rocher des Doms that allowed its inhabitants to see in the distance. The city, built in a circular pattern, was surrounded by ramparts constructed in the 1st century and modernized and extended several times until the 14th century. The Avignon-Centre district (photo) today occupies the intramural part of the city of the Vaucluse department.