Pont Saint-Bénézet - Pont d'Avignon |
84000 Avignon, France (Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur) |
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| Floor area | unfortunately not known yet |
Bridges and Tunnels
- World Heritage Site
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Opening times
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Status from 04/2023
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Free entry. |
| Contact | Unknown contact data for this museum - please help via contact form. |
| Homepage |
whc.unesco.org/fr/list/228 whc.unesco.org/en/list/228 |
| Location / Directions |
Der auf festem Land gelegene Teil des Pont Saint-Bénézet befindet sich unmittelbar außerhalb der Stadtmauer von Avignon am Südostufer des Flusses. Er beginnt nahe dem Rocher des Doms und ist mit einem Wachturm des Palais des Papes verbunden. Der Boulevard du Quai de la Ligne verläuft unter dem ersten Brückenbogen. Der über dem Wasser gelegene Teil des Pont Saint-Bénézet ist in Richtung der Île de la Barthelasse, einer Insel zwischen Avignon und Villeneuve-lès-Avignon, gebaut und überspannt etwa zwei Drittel der Breite des östlichen Flussarmes. |
| Description | From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: A bridge spanning the Rhône between Villeneuve-lès-Avignon and Avignon was built between 1177 and 1185. This early bridge was destroyed forty years later during the Albigensian Crusade when Louis VIII of France laid siege to Avignon. The bridge was rebuilt with 22 stone arches. It was very costly to maintain as the arches tended to collapse when the Rhône flooded. Eventually in the middle of the 17th century the bridge was abandoned. The four surviving arches on the bank of the Rhône are believed to have been built in around 1345 by Pope Clement VI during the Avignon Papacy. The Chapel of Saint Nicholas sits on the second pier of the bridge. It was constructed in the second half of 12th century but has since been substantially altered. The western terminal, the Tour Philippe-le-Bel, is also preserved. The bridge was the inspiration for the song Sur le pont d'Avignon and is considered a landmark of the city. In 1995, the surviving arches of the bridge, together with the Palais des Papes and Cathédrale Notre-Dame des Doms were classified as a World Heritage Site. History The bridge spanned the Rhône between Avignon and Villeneuve-lès-Avignon. It was built between 1177 and 1185, with an original length of some 900 m (980 yd). The bridge was destroyed during the siege of Avignon by Louis VIII of France in 1226 but beginning in 1234 it was rebuilt. Historians have suggested that the earlier bridge may have consisted of a wooden superstructure supported on stone piers and that only when rebuilt was the bridge constructed entirely in stone. The bridge was only 4.9 m (16 ft) in width, including the parapets at the sides. The arches were liable to collapse when the river flooded and were sometimes replaced with temporary wooden structures before being rebuilt in stone. The bridge fell into a state of disrepair during the 17th century. By 1644 the bridge was missing four arches and finally a catastrophic flood in 1669 swept away much of the structure. Since then, its surviving arches have successively collapsed or been demolished, and only four of the initial 22 arches remain. The arches are segmental rather than the semi-circular shape typically used in Roman bridges. Of the remaining arches the largest span is 35.8 m (117 ft) between the third and fourth piles. The piers have cutwaters that are pointed in both the upstream and the downstream direction. These reduce the scour around the piers, one of the main threats to the stability of stone bridges. The song "Sur le Pont d'Avignon" The bridge has achieved worldwide fame through its commemoration by the song "Sur le Pont d'Avignon" ("On the Bridge of Avignon"). |
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