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FRANCE – Cahors – Valentré Bridge - The Devil

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The Pont Valentré (Occitan : Pont de Balandras. English : Valentré Bridge) is a 14th-century six-span fortified stone arch bridge crossing the Lot River to the west of Cahors, in France. It has become a symbol of the city.

After the decision was made to build it on 30 April 1306, construction began on 17 June 1308. It was built between 1308 and 1378 with six Gothic arches and three square bridge towers. It opened for use in 1350. It was originally fortified at both ends, but the western tower has not survived.

This bridge was originally built due to the Franco-English hundred year war. A major restoration was performed from 1867 to 1879 by Paul Gout.

The bridge was classified in 1998 as a world heritage site. It can only be crossed by foot.


THE LEGEND OF THE PONT VALENTRE
The construction of the bridge lasted 70 years (1308 to 1378). In local folklore it is said that the foreman, exasperated by the slow pace of the work, signed a pact with the Devil. In the pact the Devil promised to use his skills to expedite the work and, if he carried out all of the foreman's orders, then his (the foreman's) soul would be forfeit.

Having seen the bridge built on time, the foreman regrets his decision and issues a final order to the devil to go and collect water for the other workers using a sieve. In revenge for having been tricked, the Devil sends a demon each night to loosen the final stone in the central tower (known as the Devil's Tower) to ensure that the bridge is never finished and must be repaired each day.

During the restoration of the bridge in 1879, the architect Paul Gout inserted a stone bearing the sculpted image of an imp into the central tower. As a result, according to the updated legend, every time the Devil checks to see that his vandalism has been carried out, he is confused into thinking that the stone image is one of his demons tasked with dismantling the bridge.
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csarmientoj

Many thanks for your nice comments Tropi !!
And YES, you are right it is really extraordinary that the bridge is still there and most of all, in very good shape, despite his old age...
I always try to find information about the site/building of the puzzle. It makes it much more interesting. (Between you and me, I like the legend of the devil very much !!).
Greetings and a nice day to you ,

What an incredible story. Thanks for sharing. Incredible also that the building still stands up after more than 700 years. Very impressing.

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