Le diable du Pont Valentré

The legend of the Valentré Bridge :

"It is said that the architect, unable to complete the project, finally turned to the Devil for help and signed an agreement with him. Satan undertook to help him by whatever means necessary, and to obey all his orders to the letter. The architect's soul would be forfeit when the work was complete. However, if the Devil, for whatever reason, refused to continue his assistance right to the end, he would lose his right to the architect's soul. Under these conditions, the work proceeded apace.

When the bridge was almost finished, the architect said to himself: "It is high time to think of my soul's welfare, lest the bargain should prove a bad one."

He then approached his formidable associate, carrying a sieve. "My friend", said he, "you have proved obedient until now, and you know that you must be so until all is done: take this sieve, leave it exactly as it is, and use it to draw water to take to the builders for mixing the lime mortar." The devil bit his lip in vexation, but tried nevertheless to carry out the order. Twenty times he tried and failed: no sieve has ever held water. Humiliated, he had to admit defeat, but swore to have his revenge. And indeed, when the stonemasons had almost finished the central tower, they found that the topmost corner on the north-west side had been knocked down, and ever after, it was impossible to complete that tower properly."

The architect in charge of restoration work in the 19th century, Paul Goût, immortalised this legend by having a carving placed on the central tower representing the devil trying to pull out a cornerstone but failing, because his fingers are trapped between the blocks of stone.

www.mairie-cahors.fr/Tourisme/Pontval/Legendeanglais.html