Avignon bridge

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The Pont Saint Benezet, the famous "Pont d'Avignon", is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Pont d'Avignon is one of the most famous monuments in the world thanks to its song, but few people know the true history of this bridge. The Pont Saint Benezet is a real technical feat! Built from the 12th century, it once connected the two banks of the Rhône. A certain Benezet built its 22 arches, forming a curve 920 meters long from 1177 to 1185 on the remains of Roman abutments. It was for a long time the only bridge allowing to cross the Rhône between Lyon and the Mediterranean Sea because Arles had lost its ancient bridge. The city attracted travellers, merchants and industrialists and developed rapidly thanks to the income generated by tolls. Now only part of it remains. Over the years, the arches succumbed to the onslaught of floods, leaving only 4. In the 17th century, it was decided to stop restoring the structure. The 4 arches are today the symbol of Avignon.

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