78:. He was given a month to build it, on pain of being hung. The baron, though, was a wastrel who had no money to pay for material or workers. In despair, he made a deal with the Devil who would build the bridge, but who demanded the soul of the first to cross it. The bridge was to be completed by the next morning. Feeling guilt, the baron went to the church of Saint-Volusien and confessed to the abbot, who had an idea. When the bridge was ready, the baron arrived and found the Devil waiting. He asked the baron if he was to be the first soul to cross, but the baron said he was not and opened a basket he was carrying out of which jumped a large cat with a saucepan tied to its tail. Frightened by the noise, the cat ran across the bridge. Defeated and humiliated by such trickery, the Devil left and never returned.
129:
185:
17:
171:
157:
143:
90:
Despite the legend, and the
Ministry of Culture description, the bridge is not mentioned in any ancient texts or maps. In reality, the bridge was built in 1836 by a local entrepreneur, Adolphe Garrigou, for his brother-in-law and partner, the polytechnician Léo Lamarque (b. 30 August 1808 in Algiers,
86:
The bridge connects the village of
Montoulieu to the right bank of the Ariège. It is a fortified arched bridge located in a deep part of the valley. On the left bank are the ruins of a fortified house which was the bridgehead as well as the two entry and exit arches. The bridge is a single, very high
95:
of his invention. It was attached to the end of a long axis, which plunged directly into the vortex of the river, between the two main arches of the bridge, which explains the absence of a supply channel and the traditional installations of a mill.
99:
In 1946, a restoration of the building was carried out, including the repair of a corbelled structure, the consolidation of the crests of the walls as well as a clearing of brush.
404:
360:
313:
280:
91:
d. 29 July 1849). Lamarque had worked with the mathematician Jean-Victor
Poncelet (1788–1867) and he experimented there with a
247:
128:
399:
414:
117:
on 30 April 1942 and the bridge itself was classified on 17 April 1950. The bridge is the property of the commune.
184:
300:
170:
156:
142:
409:
317:
71:
285:
44:
36:
74:, ordered the Baron of Saint-Paul to build a bridge across the Ariège to join Montoulieu and
342:
216:
40:
75:
8:
113:
60:
243:
56:
47:
of France. It dates from the Middle Ages. It is one of 49 Devil's
Bridges in France.
28:
16:
108:
393:
375:
362:
67:
92:
272:
Jean-Jacques Pétris (2011). "Pont du Diable, mythes et réalités".
32:
299:
The full journal article is not available online, but the
281:"Saint-Paul-de-Jarrat. La vraie fausse histoire d'un pont"
343:"Pont du Diable sur l'Ariège, près de Mercus-Carrabet"
217:"Pont du Diable sur l'Ariège, près de Mercus-Carrabet"
314:"Restauration d'édifice de l'Ariège, série générale"
59:, its origins are the subject of legend involving a
271:
303:shows a sketch of how the mill would have worked.
391:
405:Monuments historiques of Ariège (department)
242:. Hampshire, England: Picador. p. 131.
237:
211:
209:
207:
392:
204:
27:(Devil's Bridge) is a bridge over the
13:
15:
14:
426:
335:
345:(in French). Ministry of Culture
219:(in French). Ministry of Culture
183:
169:
155:
141:
127:
306:
265:
262:Information panel at the site.
256:
231:
81:
1:
197:
102:
318:Ministry of Culture (France)
39:, located in the commune of
7:
107:The site in the commune of
10:
431:
289:(in French). 9 August 2010
120:
400:Bridges completed in 1836
276:(in French) (3): 103–134.
66:In the 13th century, the
63:to achieve construction.
50:
415:Stone bridges in France
240:The Discovery of France
57:similarly named bridges
20:
19:
376:42.90639°N 1.64083°E
274:Archives ariégeoises
238:Graham Robb (2007).
76:Saint-Paul-de-Jarrat
410:The Devil in legend
372: /
177:Remains of the mill
163:Remains of the mill
114:monument historique
61:deal with the Devil
37:Tarascon-sur-Ariège
286:La Dépêche du Midi
191:Le pont du diable.
149:Looking downstream
21:
381:42.90639; 1.64083
249:978-0-330-42761-6
45:Ariège department
422:
387:
386:
384:
383:
382:
377:
373:
370:
369:
368:
365:
354:
352:
350:
329:
328:
326:
324:
310:
304:
298:
296:
294:
277:
269:
263:
260:
254:
253:
235:
229:
228:
226:
224:
213:
187:
173:
159:
145:
131:
111:was listed as a
430:
429:
425:
424:
423:
421:
420:
419:
390:
389:
380:
378:
374:
371:
366:
363:
361:
359:
358:
348:
346:
341:
338:
333:
332:
322:
320:
312:
311:
307:
292:
290:
279:
270:
266:
261:
257:
250:
236:
232:
222:
220:
215:
214:
205:
200:
193:
192:
188:
179:
178:
174:
165:
164:
160:
151:
150:
146:
137:
136:
132:
123:
109:Mercus-Garrabet
105:
84:
53:
12:
11:
5:
428:
418:
417:
412:
407:
402:
356:
355:
337:
336:External links
334:
331:
330:
305:
264:
255:
248:
230:
202:
201:
199:
196:
195:
194:
190:
189:
182:
180:
176:
175:
168:
166:
162:
161:
154:
152:
148:
147:
140:
138:
134:
133:
126:
122:
119:
104:
101:
83:
80:
52:
49:
25:Pont du Diable
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
427:
416:
413:
411:
408:
406:
403:
401:
398:
397:
395:
388:
385:
344:
340:
339:
319:
316:(in French).
315:
309:
302:
288:
287:
282:
275:
268:
259:
251:
245:
241:
234:
218:
212:
210:
208:
203:
186:
181:
172:
167:
158:
153:
144:
139:
130:
125:
124:
118:
116:
115:
110:
100:
97:
94:
88:
79:
77:
73:
72:Raymond-Roger
69:
68:Count of Foix
64:
62:
58:
48:
46:
42:
38:
34:
30:
26:
18:
357:
347:. Retrieved
321:. Retrieved
308:
291:. Retrieved
284:
273:
267:
258:
239:
233:
221:. Retrieved
112:
106:
98:
89:
85:
65:
54:
29:Ariège river
24:
22:
379: /
301:front cover
135:The arches.
93:water wheel
82:Description
394:Categories
364:42°54′23″N
349:15 October
323:19 October
293:19 October
223:15 October
198:References
103:Protection
41:Montoulieu
367:1°38′27″E
278:Cited by
55:Like all
43:, in the
31:between
121:Gallery
246:
87:arch.
51:Legend
351:2021
325:2021
295:2021
244:ISBN
225:2021
35:and
33:Foix
23:The
396::
283:.
206:^
70:,
353:.
327:.
297:.
252:.
227:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
.JPG)
