Pont Saint-Benezet (Pont d'Avignon)
老二连
The Pont Saint-Benezet, also known as the Avignon Bridge, is a famous medieval bridge located in the southern French city of Avignon. The French folk song "On the Bridge of Avignon" was inspired by this 22-hole stone bridge built in the 12th century, which made the bridge world-famous.
The original length of the bridge was about 900 meters, but it collapsed due to frequent floods and had to be rebuilt many times. After the severe flood in 1668, most of the bridge was washed away and finally no longer used. It has since been abandoned and no one has tried to repair it. The surviving arches have also collapsed or been demolished one after another, and only four of the original 22 arches remain today. Standing on the broken bridge in the Rhone River and looking around, you can better appreciate the vicissitudes of the ancient city, and the broken bridge has become a scenic spot in Avignon.
According to legend, the architectural design of the bridge was inspired by the local shepherd Saint-Benezet, who was ordered by an angel to build a bridge across the river. At first he was ridiculed, but his miraculous removal of the huge stone proved that he had divine help, and he won the support of the rich.
The bridge is also the place where the Rhône boatmen worship their patron saint, St. Nicholas. They originally worshipped in the chapel of St. Nicholas on the bridge (where the remains of St. Benezet are also buried), but the increasingly serious disrepair of the bridge led the clergy to refuse to conduct ceremonies in the chapel of St. Nicholas, fearing that the bridge would collapse completely. In the 18th century, a new chapel was built on the land at the end of the bridge on the Avignon side.
The bridge is of great strategic significance. It is the only fixed bridge between Lyon and the Mediterranean, and the only bridge between the Papal Territory of Avignon and the French mainland under the control of the King of France. Therefore, both sides of the river are guarded. On the left bank controlled by the French royal family, the powerful Philip IV Tower and the Castle of Avignon were built. On the Avignon side, a large gatehouse was built in the 14th century (and significantly modified in the 15th century), through which one enters the city, through the city walls and a ramp.