Chapel of Saint Nicholas on Pont Saint-Bénézet
It seems that the Pont d’Avignon also has another name – Pont Saint-Bénézet. Saint-Bénézet is supposedly a shepherd boy who heard the voice of Jesus Christ instructing him to build a bridge which crosses the Rhône. The boy was ridiculed by the villagers. However, the boy proved his divine inspirations by lifting a large boulder. Because of this incredible feat, funding was provided for the construction of the bridge. Saint-Bénézet was supposedly buried in the chapel on the bridge. Saint-Bénézet also formed a Bridge Brotherhood which worships in the chapel on the bridge. It isn’t clear if this Saint-Bénézet ever existed but there is a bridge which is named in his honor.
Looking at the Rhône from Pont Saint-Bénézet in Avignon
It was clear back then that it was difficult to build a bridge that crosses this one mighty flowing river. However the need to be able to quickly cross the river to get to the opposite side was so important compared to walking all the way around the medieval town. It was perhaps because of the technology in use at that time when bridge building was not too different from the methods used during the ancient Roman empire. Over the years, the technique was refined to build a much more stable bridge apparently with a little luck for most of the span of the bridge. The far end of the bridge wasn’t that stable at all and ended up getting carried away by the river.
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