Pont d’Avignon is the famous bridge of Avignon from the children’s song “Sur le Pont d’Avignon”. Originally spanning the Rhône River and once reaching all the way to Villeneuve, France, it is today a shell of its former glory, stretching only part way across the river. The bridge was built in the late 12th century, legend has it, out of the inspiration of a local shepherd (St Bénézet) who claims to have been commanded to do so by angels. He was initially ridiculed, but silenced his mockers when he miraculously removed a huge stone and then received sponsorship from the Bridge Brotherhood to construct the bridge.
With its 22 elegant arches, span of 3,000 feet, and its importance as one of the few bridges crossing the Rhône between the Mediterranean Sea and Lyon, the Pont d’Avignon easily rose to prominence in its day. More importantly, perhaps, the bridge in medieval times used to serve as the dividing border between papal and secular territory. The papacy controlled the Avignon side of the river while the French king controlled the left side of the river; both ends were heavily guarded especially in those days of friction between the church and state.
For many years, the bridge had been the site of devotional worship to the patron St Nicholas by boatmen of the Rhône. They used to worship at the Chapel of St Nicholas on the bridge itself but, with the deterioration of the structure, services were altogether eliminated for fear of a collapse. In the 18th century, however, a new chapel was built at the foot of the bridge by the Avignon side of the embankment.
After centuries, various arches of the bridge collapsed and were replaced with wooden sections. In 1668, however, a catastrophic flood destroyed nearly all of the bridge, leaving only four of the original arches intact. Pont d’Avignon has been effectively rendered useless ever since, and no repairs or restoration efforts have been attempted. | 
