The Conclave Info

Held after Napoleon captured the previous pope, this conclave was the longest of the modern era, lasting three and a half months. The cardinals were exiled to Venice and forced to vote inside a Benedictine monastery on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore.

However, the definitive turning point came after the death of Pope Clement IV in 1268. The cardinals at Viterbo (north of Rome) argued for nearly three years without selecting a pope. Frustrated, the local magistrate locked the cardinals in the papal palace, restricted their food to bread and water, and literally removed the roof to expose them to the elements. Within six months, they elected Pope Gregory X. The Conclave