Saint-Benezet Bridge

 

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New access to the St-bénezet bridge

In the past, the Museum devoted to the “Pont d’Avignon”, called the Pont Saint Bénezet Museum, was located in the the Châtelet, which is the entrance to the bridge.The layout of this space has been restructured, and the shop and ticket area have been Reorganized in the Saint Bénezet Space. The Museum provides a vast overview of the history of the legendary bridge and song, through objects, tools, documentation and period illustrations. In addition, at the end or begining of your visit, you can visit the shop which offers souvenirs and regional products, and a vast choice of books on the subject of the bridge and of Avignon.The Museum and the Shop are open every day of the year during bridge opening hours.

HISTORY OF THE SAINT-BENEZET BRIDGE

• The legend of St. Bénezet

A young shepherd by the name of Bénezet came to Avignon from his native Ardèche, in 1177. He said that he was sent by God to build a bridge in Avignon. At first, he was considered to be crazy, stating that he had heard a voice from heaven say to him: “ Bénezet, take your shepherd’s staff and go down to Avignon, the capital of the river. You shall talk to the inhabitants, and you shall tell them that a bridge has to be built"

One Sunday during a religious feast day, as the Bishop of Avignon was giving his blessing on the esplanade in front of the church, Bénezet spoke to him and said: “Lord Bishop, I have been sent by the All-Powerful to build a bridge over the Rhône…”

Mocked by the crowd, the shepherd was challenged by the bishop to lift an enormous stone onto his shoulders, and toss it into the Rhône. Bénezet did not hesitate and before the gaze of the amazed crowd, proceeded to lift an enormous block of stone and heave it into the water, assisted, it is said, by divine intervention, even by angels surrounded by a golden light.
This beautiful legend of Saint Bénezet has become part of local fervor, for the actual construction of the bridge also symbolizes man’s mastery over the elements. The “Pont St. Bénezet” was the first construction over the Rhone river, between Lyon and the Mediterranean sea in the 12th century.

• The History

At first, there had been an old bridge built out of wood, which had linked Villeneuve to Avignon. The piles were re-used to build Bénezet’s bridge, which was open to traffic in 1184. However, this bridge, Romanesque in style, was destroyed during siege of 1226, with only four arches left standing.

At the time, there was a Confraternity which was called the 'oeuvre du pont" (the Bridge Workers), which had come into creation under the influence of Bénezet. This community included 24 friars. Their constant begging, and the tolls they charged to cross the river helped them raise the money required to begin the construction of a Gothic stone bridge on the remains of the 12th century bridge, along the same construction principle as two other famous bridges in the region – the Pont du Gard and the Pont Julien, in Bonnieux. The new bridge had 22 arches and covered approximately 900 meters.

During the Middle Ages, the St. Bénezet bridge was part of one of the biggest pilgrimage routes between Italy and Spain. And it would be indispensable to the Pontifical court which settled in Avignon in the 14th century. Many of the Cardinals in the Papal court settled in the city of Villeneuve to avoid the drawbacks of living in Avignon, which the poet Petrarch had described as being “the most repellent and malodorous city on earth”. At the time, the Avignon bridge was the most direct connection between the many cardinals’ palaces going up in Villeneuve, and the Palace of the Popes, located within the ramparts surrounding the city of Avignon.

Each time a pope crossed the bridge, he would stop for a moment in front of Saint Bénezet’s chapel, midway across the bridge, to pray, and would leave an offering of one florin. The bridge was paved in 1377, under orders from Cardinal Blandiac, for there had been problems with the slippery surface and accidental falls into the Rhone river. King Louis XIV is one of the last persons to have crossed the Rhone river on the bridge, prior to its “collapse” in the 17th century. However, the king never wanted to pay for restoring the bridge, even though he had been interested in taking possession of the bridge

 

LODGING

See the listing of the Hotels in Avignon

 

PRACTICAL INFORMATIONS

Pont Saint Bénezet
RMG – 6, rue Pente Rapide
Charles Ansidei
84000 AVIGNON – FRANCE

Opening Hours

The St Bénezet bridge is open every day of the year.
The last tickets are sold half an hour before closing time.

– from 1st to 14th march: 9H – 18H30
– from 15 march to 30 june: 9H – 19H
– from 1st to 31 july: 9H -20H
– from 1st to 31 aug.: 9H – 21H
– from 1st sept to 15 sept: 9h -20H
– from 16 sept to 1er nov.: 9H -19H
– from 2 nov. to 28 feb: 9H30 -17H45

DIFFERENT TYPES OF VISITS

Audioguided tours: in 8 languages (Fr, Ang, All, It, Esp, Nd, Jp, Ch) included in price of entry.
Guided tours (supplement guide)
Free entrance:
children under 8