The History of the Papal Conclave: The Longest Election in Viterbo

The City of Popes

• 📍 Viterbo, north of Rome, is known as the "city of popes" because several popes were elected there.
• 🔑 The city famously hosted the longest conclave in Catholic Church history, lasting nearly three years (1,06 days).

The Divided Cardinals of the 13th Century

• ⏳ In the 13th century, cardinals were so divided that they could not agree on a new pope for almost three years.
• 🏛️ This prolonged division led the citizens of Viterbo to implement extreme measures to compel an agreement.

Extreme Measures to Elect a Pope

• 🔒 Cardinals were first locked in the Palace of the Popes, giving rise to the term "conclave" (from Latin cum clave, meaning "with a key").
• 💧 When locking them in didn't work, their food and water were rationed to bread and water.
• 🌧️ Ultimately, the population removed part of the roof, exposing the cardinals to extreme weather, which finally obliged them to elect a new pope.

The Compromise Pope and Modern Conclaves

• 🤝 The pope elected after these measures was a compromise candidate, representing an agreement between opposing factions.
• 🌟 The conclave in Viterbo is considered to have set the stage for modern conclaves and is viewed as the first true conclave in history.