Le Pont d’Avignon
North side of the Pont Saint-Bénézet showing the Chapel of Saint Nicholas, Avignon, France. Image credit: Nikon2, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
From the youngest of ages, French children learn the song “Sur le pont d’Avignon” no matter where in the world they are raised. Though there is little evidence that anyone actually danced on this bridge, only under it, the song has helped draw visitors from around the world to see this historic site. Before being musically immortalized in an operetta performed at the Comic Opera of Paris in 1853, “l’Auberge Pleine”, the bridge experienced multiple lives.
Its initial construction began in 1177 to connect the villages of Avignon and Villeneuve-lès-Avignon by spanning the Rhône River in modern-day southern France. The official name of the bridge, Pont Saint-Bénézet, honors a shepherd who had a divine vision and convinced the bishop of Avignon to undertake construction of a bridge to fulfill God’s command. Nearly twenty miraculous events were said to have occurred during the eight-year construction period, prompting donations to support the completion of the bridge. A chapel dedicated to Saint Nicholas, patron saint of bridge builders and sailors, was incorporated into the bridge to serve as a regular stop for travelers on the Rhône. Upon the death of Bénézet, his body was interred in the chapel.
The bridge itself came down in 1226 during the Crusades of King Louis VIII, whose soldiers laid siege to and forced the surrender of Avignon. Shortly thereafter, it was rebuilt in stone with 21 piers and 22 arches, curving around some islands and crossing via the Île de la Barthelasse (France’s largest river island) to extend nearly a full kilometer across the river. Some of the arches were unable to withstand regular floods and collapsed over the years. Wooden structures were constructed as temporary supports until the stone arches could be rebuilt, but the repeated collapse of arches took its toll over time. By 1669, when yet another flood damaged a large part of the bridge, repairs were no longer deemed worthwhile. A ferry replaced the bridge as the principal means of transport across the Rhône at Avignon or crossings could take place at Saint-Saturnin-du-Port, now known as the Pont-Saint-Esprit, 25 miles upstream. Other bridges have since been constructed at alternative points on the river.
Aerial view of Avignon, France. Image credit: OT Avignon, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Pont Saint-Bénézet greatly facilitated travel and trade in the 13th century between Spain and Italy and as the only fixed river crossing between Lyon and the Mediterranean Sea. Its utility was further bolstered starting in 1305 under French Pope Clement V, who established Avignon as the center of the Catholic Church rather than moving to Rome. Avignon grew significantly, saw a greater number of visitors, and had a more urgent need to fortify its defenses, activities that relied heavily on the Pont Saint-Bénézet. The bridge also allowed cardinals to move easily between their relatively bucolic residences in Villeneuve- lès-Avignon and the Palais des Papes in bustling Avignon.
The Avignon papacy significantly expanded the palace and its fortifications and established the Université d’Avignon and the Papal Library, then the largest library in Europe. The Papal Court drew the faithful and other visitors to Avignon along with merchants, bankers, musicians, and others who contributed to the burgeoning community. Supporting much of the comings and goings was the Pont Saint-Bénézet. Nearly two-thirds of Avignon’s population succumbed to the Black Death in the mid-1300s, but Avignon and its environs persevered as the succession of popes, increasingly tight with the French crown, maintained the prominence of Avignon among the key destinations of medieval Europe. However, this status was short-lived, and the Avignon papacy gave way when Pope Urban V temporarily moved to Rome in 1367, followed by Pope Gregory XI ten years later. Avignon was eventually folded into the Kingdom of France, which rebuilt the Pont Saint-Bénézet after a major flood in 1479.
Vernet, Claude-Joseph. Depiction of the ruins of Pont Saint-Bénézet in Avignon, France, 1756. Image credit: Joseph Vernet, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Years of usage, flooding, and difficulties with funding repairs took their toll on the bridge. By the middle of the 17th century, four arches were missing, and another devastating flood damaged and swept away a third of the remaining arches. The bridge was rendered useless such that crossings by ferry became the principal means of transport across the Rhône until the early 19th century, when a wooden bridge was erected down the river. Not surprisingly, this structure proved to also be unsustainable and was replaced by a mid-century suspension bridge that has since been upgraded with newer technologies.
Over 300,000 people visit the Pont d’Avignon each year even though it now consists of only four arches, a gatehouse, and the Saint Nicholas Chapel. Together with the Papal Palace and Episcopal Ensemble, the Pont Saint-Bénézet was recognized in 1995 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. From its humble beginnings, conceived by a shepherd, this famous bridge has borne witness to vast changes in French society and developments in scientific knowledge while the enduring presence of its remnants serves as a reminder of the roots and storied history of all who have encountered it.
Jeu de français
The Pont Saint-Bénézet played a key role in connecting people from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea and beyond as well as providing a convenient link between Avignon and its surrounding villages, allowing them to develop and grow into settled communities. Click on the game below to match pictures of places in towns with their French language names.
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