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The Bridge of Avignon

1 - A legend tells that in 1157 a shepherd boy appeared in the city of Avignon. He called himself Benedikt. He came from a village in the mountains and told an incredible story. During a solar eclipse, he had seen a bright light, and a heavenly voice had told him to build a bridge over the River Rhône, which forms an island near Avignon.

2 - The people laughed at him. Then Benedikt lifted a huge stone, so heavy that several strong men could not move it. He threw it into the river and said, “The job is started!” The people were amazed and decided to actually build a bridge.

3 - The first bridge was built of wood. But this wooden bridge was destroyed during a siege of the city. Finally, in 1226, a stone bridge was built. It soon became known as the Little Benedict. This bridge crossed the island in the river. It was 915 m long and consisted of 22 arches. At the time, it was the longest bridge in Europe. There were only a few bridges across the wide rivers back then. The Avignon Bridge was an important link between France and Italy.

4 - This connection was especially significant between 1309 and 1377. During that time, several popes lived in Avignon rather than in Rome, as had previously been customary. The French kings were very powerful at the time, and many cardinals came from France. Cardinals are the highest-ranking bishops in the Catholic Church. Eventually, one of them was elected pope. He took the name Clement V. He moved the papal residence from Rome to Avignon. He and his successors had a large palace built here, which can still be visited today. A total of 7 popes lived here. But just over 60 years later, Pope Gregory XI returned to Rome.

5 - The River Rhone at Avignon is very wide. Floods and wars repeatedly damaged the Pont d’Avignon. In 1660, the damage was so extensive that it was finally abandoned. The waters of the Rhone and the weather continued to wear away what remained. Of the 22 arches, only four eventually remained, still extending into the river today. Since the bridge has become world-famous, every effort is being made to preserve these remains.

6 - Yet somehow the old bridge held a special place in people’s hearts. The French folk song “Sur le pont d’Avignon” was written about 600 years ago. It describes how people should dance on the bridge and how different people behave while doing so. Perhaps the song recalls how things really were. For many centuries, markets and festivities were held under the bridge. There was surely dancing, too. The famous song is also known in other countries.

7 - Here’s an example of a text in German:

Have you been to Avignon? On the bridge, let’s dance, let’s dance all around.

The beautiful men (beautiful women, children, police officers) do it like this: ...

People then make the kinds of movements typical of men, women, children, police officers and so on.