Bénézet, St.
BÉNÉZET, ST.
Patron of bridge builders; initiator and promoter of the bridge across the Rhone at Avignon; b. perhaps at Hermillion-en-Maurienne (Savoie), c. 1165; d. Avignon, c. 1184. Arriving as a young man in Avignon in 1177, Bénézet (Benedictus) convinced the Avignonais that God willed them to build the first bridge across the turbulent Rhone. For seven years he collected funds and organized a group of laymen (donati ) as the fratres pontis to carry on his work. The bridge was completed in 1188. Documents in 1202 refer to him as blessed, in 1237 as saint. His relics are in St. Didier in Avignon.
Feast: April 14.
Bibliography: Acta Sanctorum April 2:254–263. f. lefort, "Histoire d'un manuscrit du 13e siècle relatif à la construction des premiers ponts sur le Rhône," Travaux de l'Académie Nationale de Reims 86 (1884–85) 206–227; "La Légende de saint Bénézet," Revue des questions historiques 23 (1878) 555–570. n. marmottan, Le pont d'Avignon, le petit pâtre Bénézet (Cavaillon, France 1964). p. pansier, "Histoire de l'ordre des frères du pont d'Avignon (1181–1410)," Annales d'Avignon et du Comtat Venaissin 7 (1920–21) 5–74. j. garin, Dictionnaire d'histoire et de géographie ecclésiastiques, ed. a. baudrillart et al. (Paris 1912) 7:1292–93.
[m. n. boyer]