Avignon - Pont St Bénézet

The bridge to St Béneezet (Provençal for Benedict) in Avignon is well-known because of the following legend attributed to it: it is said that in the year 1177 the shepherd Bénézet was instructed by the angels to build a bridge over the Rhône. The town fathers and citizens both mocked the idea, but he was given the strength to raise a giant lump of rock, which they then recognized as being a sign from God, further evidenced by the fact that the bridge was built in only eight years.