Avignon used to be the capital of Christendom in the Middle Ages for a period of time, and to this day its devoutness and cultural richness is echoed by the palais des papes, (the Palace of the Popes). It’s a UNESCO World Heritage site and is symbolic of how important the Church was in the Christian Western World in the 14th Century. The pont d’Avignon (Saint Benezet Bridge) is legendary and is one of the first images you’d conjure up if you thought of Avignon, brought to fame by the children’s song “sur le pont d’Avignon”. Legend has it that the bridge was built in the 12th century by a shepard Bénezet, who heard voices telling him to build a bridge in Avignon. Completed in 1185, the bridge was the only place to cross the Rhône between Lyon and the Mediterranean Sea. It was damaged by the flooding waters of the river, and they stopped rebuilding it in the 17th century, leaving 4 arches and a chapel.