Prince Albert II inaugurates legendary Pont du Coq in La Brigue
Prince Albert II on the Pont du Coq © Axel Bastello/ Prince’s Palace
The emblematic bridge in the hinterland of Nice was one of the victims of storm Alex in October 2020.
Prince Albert II was in La Brigue on Monday 30 September to inaugurate the new Pont du Coq (Rooster Bridge). Hugues Moutouh, the Alpes-Maritimes Prefect, Daniel Alberti, Mayor of La Brigue, local elected officials and representatives of the Fondation du Patrimoine (Heritage Foundation) also attended.
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The structure was damaged, particularly at its foundations, during storm Alex. It has to be said that it had been around a while, since the bridge, located on the D43 road leading to Notre-Dame des Fontaines, was built in the 15th century to cross the Lévansa. It was listed as a historic monument in 1987.
The work, which included repairing and protecting the bridge’s abutments, cost almost €125,000, financed by the Principality of Monaco to the tune of €120,000. This is one of 30 reconstruction projects carried out in the Roya Valley thanks to the financial support of the Prince’s Government, which has made a budget of 3 million euros available.
Pont du Coq, the legend
One of the legends to do with the bridge is that the village of La Brigue was attacked by bandits from the mountains in the past. In response to the constant attacks, the inhabitants are said to have a built a bridge to make it easier for them to flee if necessary. Slight problem, they didn’t have enough stones, so they had to abandon the project. Until the day a rooster appeared at the building site and started clawing at the ground. Taking this as a sign, the villagers searched the spot where the rooster had been scratching and found a large quantity of stones, which they used to finish the bridge. It has been called Pont du Coq (Rooster Bridge) ever since.