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Origin and history

The Valentré Bridge, also known as the Devil's Bridge, is a 14th century fortified bridge (not the 16th as mentioned in some sources) crossing the Lot at Cahors. Built between 1308 and 1378 by decision of the city's consuls, it served as a fortress to defend Cahors against attacks from the south, especially during the Franco-English wars. Its unique architecture, with three machicolis square towers and six Gothic arches, makes it a rare example of a medieval military bridge. He was never attacked, neither by the English nor by Henry IV, proving his deterrent effectiveness.

The local legend says that a pact with the Devil would have accelerated its construction: the contractor, exasperated by the slowness of the works, would have promised his soul in exchange for the completion of the bridge. Rusty, he asked the Devil to go and get water with a sifter at the source of the Chartreux, an impossible task. Furious, the Devil would have had the last stone of the central tower unsealed every night, extending the construction site for 70 years. In 1879, architect Paul Gout adjusted a stone carved from a diablotin to perpetuate the legend.

Ranked a historic monument since 1840 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998 (paths to Santiago de Compostela), the Valentré Bridge is a symbol of Cahors. Renovated in the 19th century, it is now reserved for pedestrians and attracts more than 250,000 annual visitors. It is also one of the major outstanding bridges in southern France, alongside the Millau viaduct or the Gard bridge.

His name might come from balandra (Occitan salamander), an animal associated with the Devil, or from belander, a flat bottom tank used before its construction. The bridge marked an economic turning point for Cahors by creating a new east-west axis, replacing the old north-south track. A chapel dedicated to the Virgin, in the western chestnut, protected him spiritually.

Represented on French stamps (1955, 2008) and Andorrans (1974), the bridge also inspires the arts: paintings, engravings (Eugène Pujol, Jean Dieuzaide), and a comic book (Le Diable du pont Valentré, 1990). His image is even reproduced in the Parc France Miniature. Today, there remains an emblematic passage of Via Podiensis (compostela pilgrimage) and GR 36.

Future

The Pont Valentré is one of the 71 monuments as well as 7 portions of paths are inscribed since 1998 on the UNESCO World Heritage List under the official title of "Chemins de Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle en France".

It is on the way to Via Podiensis, or "Voy du Puy", from Puy-en-Velay to the Basque village of Ostabat, where it joins via Turonensis and via Lemovicensis gathered shortly before.

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