BENEZET, SAINT

born c. 1165 died c. 1184, ; feast day April 14 Latin Benedictus builder who instigated and directed the building of the Pont d'Avignon over the Rhne River at Avignon, France. An uneducated shepherd, Bnzet claimed that he was divinely commanded to build the bridge at a point where the force of the Rhne was so great that it had discouraged even Roman engineers in antiquity. The bishop of Avignon, at first skeptical, finally approved the project, and work began in 1177. Bnzet reputedly overcame many obstacles miraculously. He died four years before the bridge was completed and was buried in a chapel built on one of the piers. After almost 500 years, his body was removed and his relics are at Saint-Didier in Avignon.