Saint Bénezet
Confesseur - Constructeur
du Pont d'Avignon (+ 1184)
ou Benoît.
Ses parents étaient
pauvres, très pauvres, et leur seule richesse était en Dieu. Le petit Benoît,
d'où le surnom de Bénezet, perdit son père très jeune et dut garder les
troupeaux pour permettre à sa famille de survivre.
Les légendes lui font
traverser le Rhône d'une manière originale et racontent son intervention près
des échevins pour qu'existe un pont. De là vient l'histoire de la construction
du pont d'Avignon. La corporation des 'frères pontifes' commença les travaux.
Ils avancèrent lentement à cause des crues et du débit du fleuve et saint
Bénezet n'en vit pas la fin.
Mais tout le temps qu'il
vécut, il secourut les pauvres tout en y travaillant et, ses miracles, selon la
tradition, multiplièrent les pierres.
- Vie de saint Benezet
sur le site
Internet du diocèse d'Avignon.
- "Une vieille
tradition le fait naître à Burzet, au hameau du Villard, et lui attribue une
part importante - avec les 'Frères Pontifes' - dans la construction du pont
d’Avignon. Mort en 1184, il est fêté dans le diocèse de Viviers depuis 1737."
(Saint
Bénezet - Église catholique en Ardèche)
- Benoît ou Bénezet, par
amour envers les pauvres, se rendit à Avignon et y travailla à la construction
du pont sur le Rhône, avec des compagnons qui formèrent le groupe des frères
pontifes. Il mourut en 1184 et on l'ensevelit dans la chapelle du Pont
d'Avignon. (source: Les
Saints du diocèse de Nîmes)
- "En 1177. le jeune
Bénézet gardait les brebis de sa mère quand une voix céleste lui dit d'aller
construire un pont sur le Rhône, à Avignon. Un ange l'accompagna sous
l'apparence d'un pèlerin et disparut quand ils furent arrivés face à la ville.
L'enfant, effrayé par la largeur et l'impétuosité du fleuve, le traverse sur le
bac et se présente à l'évêque qui harangue à ce moment ses ouailles:
'écoutez-moi et comprenez-moi, dit l'enfant à voix haute, je suis envoyé de
Dieu pour faire un pont sur le Rhône'. Le pasteur fait mine de vouloir châtier
l'insolence de ce mauvais sujet qui ose l'interrompre. Il le fait conduire au
prévôt ou viguier de la ville à qui l'enfant renouvelle sa requête. Mais le
magistrat se moque de lui et, par dérision, lui demande de montrer un signe de
sa mission et de faire ses preuves en transportant une énorme pierre à
l'abandon, vestige de quelque monument romain, que personne encore n'a pu ôter
devant son palais. Alors le jeune berger, confiant en Dieu, accomplit le
prodige, il porte la pierre, que trente hommes n'auraient pu soulever, à
l'endroit où le pont devait s'enraciner à la berge. Telle est la
'Légende'." (source: Les
Frères Pontifes et Saint Bénézet ,
par Auguste Jouret, Ingénieur à la S.N.C.F. - pages 23 et sq. - Histoire de
L'École Centrale de Lyon)
À Avignon, en 1184, saint
Bénezet (Benoît), jeune berger, grâce à qui, avec l’aide du Seigneur, fut
construit sur le Rhône un pont très utile aux habitants de la ville. Il mourut
à dix-neuf ans et son corps fut déposé sur le pont.
Martyrologe romain
SOURCE : http://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/970/Saint-Benezet.html
Saint Bénezet
Bénezet (ou Benoît en
langue d'oc), qui mourut en 1184, est le constructeur du fameux pont d'Avignon.
Berger, c'est à la suite d'une vision qu'il alla trouver l'évêque et lui
demanda aide pour édifier un pont sur un gué particulièrement dangereux du
Rhône. Une série de miracles accompagna cette construction.
Tomba di Benedetto di Hermillon; Avignone,
Chiesa Collegiata di Saint-Didier
Gisant de Bénézet, collégiale Saint-Didier d'Avignon.
Saint Bénézet ou Benoît
Berger
(1165-1184)
Saint Bénézet vint au
monde en Savoie. Il fut élevé sous le toit de chaume de ses parents, qui lui
apprirent de bonne heure à aimer Dieu.
Quand il eut douze ans,
sa mère, devenue veuve, l'employa à la garde des troupeaux. Or, un jour, dans
la campagne, Bénézet entendit trois fois cette parole:
"Bénézet, Mon fils,
écoute la voix de Jésus-Christ. Je veux que tu laisses ton troupeau et que tu
ailles Me bâtir un pont sur le Rhône.
-- Mais, Seigneur, je ne
sais où est le Rhône, et je n'ose abandonner les brebis de ma mère.
-- Va, Je serai avec toi;
tes brebis retourneront à l'étable, et Je vais te donner un compagnon qui te
conduira.
-- Mais, Seigneur, je
n'ai que trois oboles; comment pourrai-je construire un pont sur le Rhône?
-- Va, Mon fils, Je te
donnerai les moyens."
Et l'enfant laissa sa
mère et son troupeau, pour obéir à la voix du Ciel. Un ange, sous la forme d'un
pèlerin, vint tout à coup s'offrir pour le conduire. Quand ils arrivèrent au
bord du Rhône, Bénézet, saisi de frayeur à la vue de la largeur du fleuve,
s'écria:
"Il est impossible
de faire un pont ici.
-- Ne crains rien, dit le
guide, Dieu sera avec toi: va vers ce batelier, qui te fera passer le fleuve,
et tu iras te présenter à l'évêque d'Avignon et à son peuple." En disant
cela, l'ange disparut.
L'enfant se rendit à la
cathédrale. L'évêque y parlait à son peuple; mais Bénézet l'interrompit en
disant: "Écoutez-moi; Jésus-Christ m'a envoyé vers vous pour construire un
pont sur le Rhône."
L'évêque, indigné, le mit
entre les mains de l'autorité civile, devant laquelle il renouvela sa demande
avec tant de fermeté, qu'il lui fut dit: "Voici une pierre énorme; si tu
peux la remuer et la porter, nous croirons que tu peux faire le pont."
Et bientôt le petit
berger, à la vue de l'évêque et de toute la ville portait une pierre de trente
pieds de longueur sur dix-sept de largeur, que trente hommes n'auraient pu
soulever. On devine l'enthousiasme universel. Cet enthousiasme augmenta encore
quand on vit Bénézet, dès ce jour, rendre la vue aux aveugles, l'ouïe et la
parole aux sourds-muets, et la facilité de marcher aux boiteux.
L'envoyé de Dieu commença
par fonder une corporation d'ouvriers faiseurs de ponts. Après sept ans de
travaux, le pont, d'une longueur immense, n'était pas encore achevé. Bénézet
mourut à dix-neuf ans. Sa mémoire est restée en bénédiction.
Abbé L. Jaud, Vie
des Saints pour tous les jours de l'année, Tours, Mame, 1950
SOURCE : http://www.magnificat.ca/cal/fr/saints/saint_benezet_ou_benoit.html
Saint Benezet the
Bridge Builder
Also
known as
Benezet of Avignon
Benezet of Hermillon
Benezet of the Bridge
Benedict…
Bennet…
Benet…
Benoit…
Profile
Shepherd.
During an eclipse he received a vision telling him to build a bridge over the
Rhone at Avignon; angels would
watch his flocks while he was gone. When the church and civil officials refused
to help him, he lifted a huge stone into place, and announced it would be the
start of the foundation; eighteen miracles occurred,
the officials recanted, and the bridge was built. Legendary founder of
the bridge-building
brotherhoods.
Born
c.1163 at
Hermillon, Savoy, France
body found incorrupt
in 1669
–
boy carrying
a large stone on his shoulder
Additional
Information
Lives
of the Saints, by Father Alban
Butler
Saints
of the Day, by Katherine Rabenstein
books
Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
Oxford Dictionary of Saints, by David Hugh Farmer
Saints
and Their Attributes, by Helen Roeder
other
sites in english
images
sites
en français
fonti
in italiano
MLA
Citation
‘Saint Benezet the Bridge
Builder‘. CatholicSaints.Info. 14 April 2024. Web. 27 March 2026.
<https://catholicsaints.info/saint-benezet/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saint-benezet/
St. Benezet
Feastday: April 14
Patron: Avignon; bachelors; bridge-builders
Birth: 1163
Death: 1184
Saint Benezet lived
between 1163 and 1184, and is known primarily for being the founder of the
tradition of the bridge building brotherhood. His icons frequently depict him
as a shepherd boy carrying a stone.
According to legend,
Benezet was a shepherd who experienced a vision while watching an eclipse of
the sun. In his vision, he was instructed to build a bridge over the river
Rhone at Avignon. Concerned about his flock, he was told that angels would
provide watch while he worked. Thus assured, he started to build the bridge,
working alone.
At first, the civil and
religious authorities refused to help him.
Onlookers watched as the
young shepherd boy carried a stone that was much too large for a man to lift.
He placed the stone and proclaimed that it would become the foundation, to
which onlookers declared his feat of strength to be a miracle. As he continued
working on the project, additional miracles occurred including inexplicable
healings of the deaf and blind and restorations of those crippled by disease to
health.
The miracles convinced
many that Benezet’s work was ordered by God and they finally came to his aid,
pledging funds and help. Thus, the first Bridge Brotherhood was formed.
Bridge brotherhoods would
be among the most important developments of the medieval period with many
forming across Europe. The brotherhoods were intended to be temporary and
dedicated to building bridges in areas that needed them. Some people too vows
while they worked on the projects, knights donated funds, and entire
communities lent support in various forms. Several famous bridges were built by
brotherhoods, including the bridge across the Rhone at Avignon.
These projects were
important to the development of trade, which served as a precursor to the
renaissance in Europe.
Benezet himself died in
1184, just 21 years old, two years before his bridge was completed. He was
interred in the bridge in a tiny chapel dedicated to Saint Nicholas, the patron
saint of mariners. His body remained there until a flood in 1669 washed out a
portion of the bridge and his coffin along with it. His casket was recovered
and opened, where it was found that his body was entirely uncorrupted.
Benezet was recognized as
a saint in the 13th century.
He was reburied in the
cathedral at Avignon and later the Celestine church of Saint Dider.
The bridge, of which the
arches still stand, is a pilgrimage site even to this day.
SOURCE : https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=46043
Benedict the
Bridge-Builder (AC)
(also known as Bénezet,
Benet, Benoît)
Born at Hermillon, Savoy
(or in the Ardenne), France, c. 1163; died 1184. The children's song "Sur
le pont d'Avignon" concerns the bridge built by Bénezet, a local shepherd
boy, a bridge rebuilt in the 14th and 17th centuries. The legend still dances
on the arches that collapsed so suddenly. From the broken fragment of the
original bridge over the raging waters, people still throw a shower of flowers
into the river during the Rhône festivals. For Avignon retains a tender love
for its broken bridge and Bénezet. Bénezet, shepherd over the waves, as
Fréderic Mistral says, built this magnificent bridge by the order of God in a
vision; after 700 years, his memory still stands guard over the arches which
live on, albeit half-dead.
According to a legend,
the bridge was built without difficulties, at least not of a financial
character. In fact, while still a child, Bénezet once saw a poor Jewish woman
who was being tormented by a flea which the hump on her back prevented her from
reaching and some street urchins who were laughing at her contortions. Bénezet
ran to her assistance. After scattering the boys, he found and crushed the
offending flea.
In her gratitude the
rheumy-eyed, hunch-backed old woman blessed Bénezet and predicted that he would
do great things later in life. In order to help him realize them, she told him
where the cache containing the treasure of the Jews lay. Time passed. Bénezet,
the little shepherd, hardly thought about the treasure, nor did he indulge in
any ambitious dreams. He was simply a 15-year-old shepherd concerned about his
flock.
One day, the sun suddenly
went into hiding: a solar eclipse always frightens the flocks and their
guardians. A voice as sweet as honey spoke to him amid the darkness: "In
the name of Christ, Bénezet, go as far as the Rhône to Avignon and build a
bridge there," the voice bade him. Now, it may sound strange that God
would ask for a bridge to be built or that it would be a reason for
canonization. In the Middle Ages, however, the construction and repair of bridges
was regarded as a work of mercy. Perhaps the child simply had pity for the many
who drowned in the rushing waters. I think it is more likely that he was indeed
called by God.
Responding to the voice,
the child objected that he could not leave his flocks unattended.
"I will watch over
them," said the voice, "I'll send you an angel for a guide."
Leaving his sheep,
Bénezet set out for the spot that had been designated to him--just as other
shepherds, one night, had trustingly set out for Bethlehem. Soon he met the
angel whom only he could see, and also arrived at the river Rhône. He had to
cross it. The Jewish ferryman picked Bénezet's pocket clean. The lad only had
three pennies to his name, but after cursing him, the ferryman finally took him
on board and the boat left. But where to? Bénezet asked himself, while
remaining utterly calm.
Finally, he arrived at
the bishop's palace, where he sought the prelate's blessing and help. Build a
bridge? The bishop swelled with indignation and sent little Bénezet to the
magistrate promising him that he would be flayed and his hands and feet chopped
off as was done to impostors in those days. But the angel, inside the young
man's heart, said: "Go!"
The magistrate took a dim
view of the matter: "You, the lowliest of the low, you who don't own an
acre in the sun, you want to build a bridge there where Saint Peter, Saint
Paul, and Charlemagne himself have been helpers? So be it! Do you see this
stone embedded in the palace courtyard? Well pull it out and carry it there and
I'll believe you! Call the people to watch this spectacle. But if you fail. . .
."
The invisible angel in
Bénezet's heart smiled. As calm and self-assured as ever, about 1177, the
little shepherd boy extracted this block of stone that weighed a hundred
quintals and upon laying it in the bed of the river, he said, "This will
be the first stone of the foundations!"
Delirium seized the crowd
of onlookers. There were shouts of "Miracle! Miracle!" Immediately,
in keeping with the rule, the blind again saw the light of day, the deaf again
heard hosannahs, the crippled suddenly walked straight and the hunch-backed
heard their vertebrae crack, stretch, and straighten out! Eighteen
miracles took place, according to the legend.
The magistrate, sobbing
in remorse, gave 300 sous for the building of the bridge, the crowd volunteered
5,000 more. The treasure of the Jews must have done the rest, because the
bridge soon rose, proudly, between the waters and the sky.
Alas! Bénezet did not
live to see the bridge finished. He died in 1184--because his mission had been
accomplished. The last stone was laid two years after his death. The bridge was
adorned with a chapel dedicated to Saint Nicholas, the patron of mariners, in
which Saint Benedict's relics were enshrined until 1669 when a flood washed
away part of the bridge. His coffin was recovered and his body found to be
incorrupt--500 years after his death--even the bowels were perfectly sound, and
the color of the eyes lively and sprightly, though, through the dampness of the
situation, the iron bars about it were much damaged with rust. It was
translated to Avignon cathedral and moved again to the Celestine church of
Saint Didier.
Even now when coming down
the major water-way of the Rhône you will see the man at the prow and the crew
in the boats passing by the broken bridge where Saint Bénezet wrought his
miracle, salute the shepherd boy who became a saint and Nicholas, the saint of
long-standing. After all, two saints are not too much for the taming of these
waters among the treacherous, and even for taming the sky overhead, where the
mistral blows, churning up powerful, angry waves.
Contemporary sources
record the principal episodes of Saint Benedict's life, and an episcopal
inquiry was conducted shortly after his death (1230) (Attwater2, Benedictines,
Coulson, Encyclopedia, Farmer, Gill, Husenbeth, Walsh).
In art, Saint Benedict is
portrayed as a boy carrying a large stone on his shoulder (Roeder). He is
venerated as the patron of Avignon (Coulson, Roeder).
SOURCE : http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/0414.shtml#bene
April 14
St. Benezet, or Little
Bennet, Patron of Avignon
HE kept his mother’s
sheep in the country, being devoted to the practices of piety beyond his age;
when, moved by charity to save the lives of many poor persons, who were
frequently drowned in passing the Rhone, and being inspired by God, he
undertook to build a bridge over that rapid river at Avignon. He obtained the
approbation of the bishop, proved his mission by miracles, and began the work
in 1177, which he directed during seven years. He died when the difficulty of
the undertaking was over, in 1184. This is attested by public monuments drawn
up at that time, and still preserved at Avignon, where the story is in every
body’s mouth. His body was buried upon the bridge itself, which was not
completely finished till four years after his decease, the structure whereof
was attended with miracles, from the first laying the foundations till it was
completed in 1188. Other miracles, wrought after this at his tomb, induced the
city to build a chapel upon the bridge, in which his body lay near five hundred
years: but, in 1669, a great part of the bridge falling down, through the
impetuosity of the waters, the coffin was taken up, and being opened, in 1670,
in presence of the grand vicar, during the vacancy of the archiepiscopal see,
it was found entire, without the least sign of corruption; even the bowels were
perfectly sound, and the colour of the eyes lively and sprightly, though,
through the dampness of the situation, the iron bars about it were much damaged
with rust. The body was found in the same condition by the archbishop of
Avignon, in 1674, when, accompanied by the bishop of Orange, and a great
concourse of nobility, he performed the translation of it, with great pomp,
into the church of the Celestines, (a house of royal foundation,) who had
obtained of Lewis XIV. the honour of being intrusted with the custody of his
relics, till such time as the bridge and chapel should be rebuilt. See the
description of this pompous translation in the Bollandists, April, t. 2, p.
958, 959; and Papebroke’s remarks on his life, p. 255.
Rev. Alban
Butler (1711–73). Volume IV: April. The Lives of the
Saints. 1866.
SOURCE : http://www.bartleby.com/210/4/144.html
Pictorial
Lives of the Saints – Saint Benezet, or Little Bennet
Article
Saint Benezet kept his
mother’s sheep in the country, and as a mere child was devoted to practices of
piety. As many persons were drowned in crossing the Rhone, Benezet was inspired
by God to build a bridge over that rapid river at Avignon. He obtained the
approbation of the bishop, proved his mission by miracles, and began the work
in 1177, which he directed during seven years. He died when the difficulty of
the undertaking was over, in 1184. This is attested by public monuments drawn
up at that time and still preserved at Avignon, where the story is in
everybody’s mouth. His body was buried upon the bridge itself, which was not
completely finished till four years after his decease, the structure whereof
was attended with miracles from the first laying of the foundations till it was
completed in 1188. Other miracles wrought after this at his tomb induced the
city to build a chapel upon the bridge, in which his body lay nearly five
hundred years. But in 1669, a greater part of the bridge falling down through
the impetuosity of the waters, the coffin was taken up, and being opened in
1670 in presence of the grand vicar, during the vacancy of the archiepiscopal
see, the body was found entire, without the least sign of corruption; even the
bowels were perfectly sound, and the color of the eyes lively and sprightly,
though, through the dampness of the situation, the iron bars about the coffin
were much damaged with rust. The body was found in the same condition by the
Archbishop of Avignon in 1674, when, accompanied by the Bishop of Orange and a
great concourse of nobility, he performed the translation of it, with great
pomp, into the church of the Celestines, this Order having obtained of Louis
XIV. the honor of being intrusted with the relics, till such time as the bridge
and chapel should be rebuilt.
Reflection – Let us pray
for perseverance in good works. Saint Augustine says, “When the Saints pray in
the words which Christ taught, they ask for little else than the gift of
perseverance.”
MLA
Citation
John Dawson Gilmary Shea.
“Saint Benezet, or Little Bennet”. Pictorial Lives
of the Saints, 1889. CatholicSaints.Info.
6 March 2014. Web. 27 March 2026.
<https://catholicsaints.info/pictorial-lives-of-the-saints-saint-benezet-or-little-bennet/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/pictorial-lives-of-the-saints-saint-benezet-or-little-bennet/
Saint Bénézet of Avignon
Jul 02, 2015 /
Written by: America
Needs Fatima
Feast April 14
Bénézet or “Little
Benedict” was a French lad, pious and thoughtful beyond his years who minded
his mother’s sheep. He was deeply concerned about how dangerous it was for poor
people to cross the unpredictable Rhône River.
It is said that during an
eclipse, in the year 1177, he heard a voice that said to him: "Bénézet,
take your rod and go down to Avignon, the capital's waterfront: talk to people
and tell them that we must build a bridge."
In the Middle Ages the
construction and repair of bridges was considered a work of mercy. Though
Bénézet knew nothing of building bridges, he took his staff and obeyed the
call.
At first the bishop of
Avignon dismissed him as being daft, but after witnessing several miracles
performed by the holy shepherd lad, he supported the enterprise, and the
Brotherhood of Bridge Builders was formed with wealthy sponsors. For seven years
Bénézet conducted the operations.
The Provençal
shepherd-turned-bridge-builder died in 1184 when most of the difficulties with
the construction had been overcome. The mighty bridge, completed four years
later, measured 900 meters long and spanned the river with 22 arches,
connecting one of the main pilgrimage routes from Italy to Covadonga on the
Atlantic coast of Spain.
Bénézet’s body was
interred in a small chapel on the bridge itself. This chapel, standing on one
of the bridge's piers, was dedicated to St. Nicholas, the patron saint of the
Rhône boatmen.
In 1669, when part of the
bridge collapsed from the force of the current, his coffin was taken up and in
1670 opened before the Grand Vicar. The body was found to be intact, even the
bowels were sound and the color of his eyes fresh. The body was first
translated to the Cathedral of Avignon and finally interred in the Church of
St. Didier in the city.
The fame of Bénézet's
bridge in Avignon was spread far beyond the borders of France by the children’s
song, Sur le Pont d’Avignon, which is sung all over the world, even in China.
SOURCE : https://americaneedsfatima.org/articles/saint-benezet-of-avignon
San Benedetto di
Hermillon (o di Avignone) Giovane pastore
Festa: 14 aprile
Hermillon, Savoia, 1163
circa - Avignone, Provenza, 1184
Nato nel 1165 a Hermillon
nella Savoia, o, secondo altri, nella parrocchia di Burzet (Ardèche),
Benedetto, chiamato «Bénézet» a causa della sua piccola statura, custodiva le
greggi, unica ricchezza familiare. In seguito a una visione, quando aveva
appena tredici anni, si recò ad Avignone per costruire un ponte sul Rodano, la
cui traversata era allora molto difficoltosa. Cacciato via dal vescovo del
luogo, Benedetto riuscì ugualmente a far decidere il prevosto della città a
intraprendere la costruzione del ponte. Morì a diciannove anni, nel 1184,
quando il ponte non era ancora ultimato. Queste vicende sono note attraverso
una narrazione leggendaria, che risalirebbe alla fine del sec. XIII; il culto e
i miracoli di Benedetto, invece, sono documentati con maggiore esattezza. Fu
dapprima sepolto nella cappella costruita sopra il terzo arco del ponte, dove
affluirono numerosi pellegrini che ottennero favori celesti: un processo
verbale redatto fra il 1230 e il 1250 tramandò il ricordo di questi miracoli.
Nel 1669 le reliquie di Benedetto furono tolte dalla cappella che minacciava
rovina e trasportate nella cattedrale, poi nella chiesa dei Celestini. Disperse
durante la Rivoluzione francese, esse furono in seguito ritrovate e trasferite
nel 1854 nella chiesa di St-Didier.
Martirologio
Romano: Ad Avignone nella Provenza, in Francia, san Benedetto, giovane
pastore, grazie al quale, con l’aiuto di Dio, fu costruito un ponte sul Rodano
di grande utilità per i cittadini.
«Sur le pont d’Avignon, on y danse, on y danse, sur le pont d’Avignon, on y danse tous en rond».
Il celebre ritornello, canticchiato dai bambini francesi, è legato alla leggendaria storia di un ponte, costruito sul fiume Rodano grazie a un pastorello. Benedetto nasce a Hermillon, in Savoia (Francia) nel 1165 circa. È piccolo di statura e per questo viene chiamato Bénézet (“piccolo Benedetto”). La sua è una famiglia povera che vive di pastorizia. Già da bambino Bénézet deve portare al pascolo le greggi.
Il pastorello ha tredici anni quando, un giorno, mentre si trova in montagna, a contatto con la natura, ha una visione che arriva dal Cielo e sente la voce di Dio indicargli una missione: deve convincere il popolo a costruire un ponte sul fiume Rodano, ad Avignone, nella Provenza. A quei tempi è molto difficile attraversare il fiume, anche a causa delle numerose piene che ne impediscono la navigazione, e la costruzione di un ponte significa offrire un passaggio che porta al mare, aiutare tanta gente a migliorare la propria condizione, rendere la vita più facile ai commercianti e ai pellegrini che viaggiano tra la Spagna e l’Italia.
Bénézet si reca ad Avignone per assolvere al compito assegnatogli dal Cielo, ma il suo proposito viene giudicato folle dal re e, per dare ascolto alle sue parole, esige una prova: Benedetto deve alzare un gigantesco masso di pietra e trasportarlo fino al fiume. Nessun essere umano è in grado di compiere una simile impresa e, a maggior ragione, un ragazzino così gracile e basso di statura come Benedetto. Il giovane, però, non ci pensa due volte. Aiutato da una forza divina, afferra il masso, lo mette in spalla e, di fronte allo stupore dei presenti, prima lo alza fin sopra la testa e, poi, sorretto da due angeli inviati dal Signore, lo butta nel fiume. Quella è la prima pietra utilizzata per costruire l’importante ponte iniziato nel 1177.
Bénézet muore nel 1184, quando la costruzione del ponte non è ancora completata, ma le sue gesta diventano leggendarie e il Ponte d’Avignone (ultimato nel 1185) rimane legato al suo nome per sempre. Il ponte è oggi un maestoso e suggestivo rudere di quattro arcate, visitato da migliaia di turisti e pellegrini, dichiarato Patrimonio Mondiale dell’Umanità dall’Unesco.
Autore: Mariella Lentini
SOURCE : https://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/49420
Dominique FABRIÉ, SAINT
BÉNÉZET ET LE PONT D’AVIGNON : https://www.les-oratoires.asso.fr/sbe.html
