Visit Avignon's Historical Bridge Le Point Benezet
Excerpt from the book On a Tall Budget and Short Attention Span from the Teresa the Traveler Series.
I left the Pope’s Palace and walked along a path that brought me to an ancient bridge spanning halfway across the Rhone River. Avignon was an important trading center in the 12th century because of its famous Le Pont St-Benezet. This 12th century bridge (now a Unesco World Heritage Site) was the only crossing point along the Rhone River connecting the Kingdom of France to the Holy Roman Germanic Empire.
Saint Benezet was a shepherd boy who saw a vision during the eclipse of 1177 that told him to build a bridge across the Rhone River in Avignon. The voice from above promised to send angels to watch over his flocks during his absence. Local authorities refused to help him so, as legend dictates, he lifted the first huge stone into place by himself.
Onlookers shouted “miracle, miracle” and more miracles were to follow: the deaf could hear again, the blind could see, the cripples could walk and the hunchbacks stood upright. This won Benezet support from some wealthy sponsors who formed the Bridge Brotherhood which funded the bridge’s construction.
After his death, Benezet’s body was laid to rest in a small chapel dedicated to Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of mariners until a flood washed away part of the bridge in 1669. His coffin was recovered and miraculously his body had not decomposed. His remains were then moved first to the Avignon Cathedral and then to the Celestine church of Saint Didier. The bridge remains a site of pilgrimage and was the inspiration for a popular French children’s song:
Saint Benezet was a shepherd boy who saw a vision during the eclipse of 1177 that told him to build a bridge across the Rhone River in Avignon. The voice from above promised to send angels to watch over his flocks during his absence. Local authorities refused to help him so, as legend dictates, he lifted the first huge stone into place by himself.
Onlookers shouted “miracle, miracle” and more miracles were to follow: the deaf could hear again, the blind could see, the cripples could walk and the hunchbacks stood upright. This won Benezet support from some wealthy sponsors who formed the Bridge Brotherhood which funded the bridge’s construction.
After his death, Benezet’s body was laid to rest in a small chapel dedicated to Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of mariners until a flood washed away part of the bridge in 1669. His coffin was recovered and miraculously his body had not decomposed. His remains were then moved first to the Avignon Cathedral and then to the Celestine church of Saint Didier. The bridge remains a site of pilgrimage and was the inspiration for a popular French children’s song:
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Sur la pont d'Avignon On y danse, on y danse Sur la pont d'Avignon On y danse tout en rond On the bridge of Avignon We will dance, we will dance On the bridge of Avignon We will dance in a circle. For tips on visiting France CLICK HERE
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I wonder if the words to this song were inspired by the fact that dancing in circles is about all you can do on this bridge considering it is only half
a bridge and you would probably drown if you attempted to dance in a straight line.
The other side of the river looked nice and I was frustrated that I couldn’t walk across on the bridge. Could the city officials not muster up enough money to repair the lost section or at least offer a water taxi service? What good is half a bridge? It’s about as useful as half a boat.
The other side of the river looked nice and I was frustrated that I couldn’t walk across on the bridge. Could the city officials not muster up enough money to repair the lost section or at least offer a water taxi service? What good is half a bridge? It’s about as useful as half a boat.
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Where I Stayed...
Hotel Alizea 38, cours Jean Jaures 84000 Avignon, France Tel: 04 90 82 03 21 Fax: 04 90 27 17 39 [email protected] |
