'Le Pont Valentre' at Cahors framed by trees in the early morning
The French medieval Valentre bridge, situated on the western side of the historic Roman town at Cahors in the Lot valley, is Europe's finest example of a defended bridge and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Symbol of the city of Cahors, the Valentré Bridge is the finest and best-preserved mediaeval bridge in Europe : it is one of the most significant examples of the military architecture of the Middle Ages we The bridge is very impressive : with its six Gothic arches and three square towers, it stands 40 metres above the level of the water. The City Consuls (Town Councillors of the period) made the decision to have it built in 1306, the first stone was laid in 1308 and the bridge was finished in ... 1378 after, according to legend, the Devil took a hand in proceedings (The legend of the Valentré bridge). The bridge was restored in 1879 by the architect Paul Goût, a pupil of Viollet-leDuc. It was at this time that a small devil-figure was carved at the top of the central tower. The following legend is told about the bridge: Due to slow progress in construction, the master builder made a pact with the devil who was supposed to help him. As he wanted to save his soul, he made a bet with the devil just before completion to bring him water for the last batch of mortar in a large sieve. The devil of course was unable to provide the water in the sieve and lost the bet. In revenge, the devil broke a stone from a corner of the center tower every night that had to replaced the following day every time. Architect Paul Gout, in charge of the restoration of the bridge was told about this legend which the locals used to explain the missing stone in the tower. The architect asked sculptor C. A. Calmon to make a stone sculpture of the devil pulling a stone out of the wall. That sculpture was then placed where the stone was missing. Since then the bridge is also called the "Devil's Bridge" or the tower is called "Satan's Tower".
Size: 5200px × 3467px
Location: Cahors, France
Photo credit: © Tony Kwan / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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