Four surviving arches of a 12th-century bridge that once stretched 22 arches across the Rhône to Villeneuve-lès-Avignon. Repeated flooding destroyed most of it, leaving this photogenic stub jutting into the river just below the Palais des Papes. A multilingual audio tour explains the engineering and the legend of the shepherd Bénézet who, allegedly inspired by angels, proved his divine mandate by hurling a massive stone into the river as a foundation.
Pont d'Avignon (Pont Saint-Bénézet)
Four surviving arches of a famous medieval bridge
A story
The well-known song "Sur le pont d'Avignon" began as "Sous le pont d'Avignon" — the festivals were held on the island beneath the bridge, not on it. A 19th-century operetta changed "sous" to "sur," presumably because dancing under a bridge sounded less romantic.