Pont Saint-Bénézet – Pont d’Avignon
If you ask French people what city the Pont Saint-Bénézet is located in, most will tell you they have no idea. But if you mention the Pont d’Avignon, it’s a completely different story, because they’ll almost certainly start humming an old 15th-century tune, one that many learned in kindergarten: “Sur le pont d’Avignon…”
The Pont Saint-Bénézet is undeniably located in Avignon, along the banks of the Rhône River in Provence.
But why did a bridge become so famous that it inspired a song?
According to legend, the Saint-Bénézet Bridge owes its existence to a miraculous event. In 1185, a shepherd named Bénézet was visited by an angel who instructed him to inform the leading citizens of Avignon of the need to build a bridge. Bénézet’s message was initially met with scepticism, but people changed their minds when he miraculously lifted an enormous boulder before them. Convinced that this was a divine command, they immediately began construction of the bridge! Bénézet raised funds to found a hospital nearby, but he died before the bridge was completed.
Construction of the bridge
The 900-meter long and 4 meter-wide Pont Saint-Bénézet was built in a record eight years!
However, a devastating flood in 1668 severely damaged it, causing the collapse or destruction of many arches. Today, only four of the original twenty-two arches remain intact.
The Saint-Nicolas Chapel, now in ruins, was built atop one of the arches. It once housed the tomb of Saint Bénézet, and is dedicated to the patron saint of Boatmen.
A café with music and a dance floor opened under one of the remaining arches, inspired by the famous song whose lyrics are as follows:
Chorus
Sur le Pont d’Avignon
L’on y danse, l’on y danse
Sur le Pont d’Avignon
L’on y danse tous en rond
Verse 1
Les beaux messieurs font comme ça
Et puis encore comme ça.
Chorus
Verse 2
Les belles dames font comme ça
Et puis encore comme ça.
Chorus
Verse 3
Les filles font comme ça
Et puis encore comme ça
Chorus
Verse 4
Les musiciens font comme ça
Et puis encore comme ça.
Chorus
Department of Vaucluse – Avignon
Coordinates Pont Saint-Benezet: Lat 43.953852 – Long 4.804878
Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Header and photo1 by Nikon2 CC BY-SA 3.0 – Sur le Pont d’Avignon by imprimerie Pellerin (fondée en 1736) Public domain
