The bridge of Avignon, also known as the bridge of Saint-Nebeze, is said to have been built in 1177 by the 12-year-old shepherd Saint-Nebeze, who heard the will of the angels and asked him to build a bridge on the Rhone of Avignon. With the help of local clergy in Avignon, he built the bridge with a group of friends, who died in 1184 at the age of 19, and his body was buried in a small shrine on the bridge, which had 22 bridge holes when it was built. It was the only major road connecting Lyon to the Mediterranean. The bridge was washed away by the flooded Rhone River many times and was not repaired until the 17th century. At present, the bridge has only four bridge holes, the famous Avignon bridge.