The Devil's Bridge was built in 873, making it one of the oldest medieval bridges in France. It is the result of an agreement between the two abbeys, located on either side of the Hérault, that of Aniane and that of Gellone in St-Guilhem. It thus makes the transition between the wine-growing plains of Languedoc and the steep gorges of Hérault.
50 meters long, it includes two main arches and two openings allowing the flow of water in the event of violent flooding.
Listed as a Historic Monument since 1935, it is also on the UNESCO World Heritage list.
It owes its name to a local legend:
Every night, the Devil reduced to nothing the work carried out by the two abbeys of Aniane and Gellone, with a view to the construction of the bridge over the Hérault.
Guilhem was led to make a pact with the Devil. He promised him the soul of the first creature to cross the bridge if he helped build an indestructible structure here. The Devil accepted, and once the bridge was built, they sent him as a reward a poor dog to whose tail a saucepan had been tied.
Mad with rage, the Devil tried to destroy the bridge... in vain, of course! Out of spite, he threw himself into the river, in a place called "the Black Abyss".
Since then, the pilgrims of Compostela who take the Devil's Bridge arm themselves with stones and throw them into the river to ensure that the devil no longer emerges from the "Black Abyss".