Pont de la Légende

The Legend:

In 1170 Queen Sancie, widow of the recently deceased Gaston V of the Béarn, was accused of the murder of her newly born and malformed son. King Sancho VI of Navarre, brother of Sancie, decides that only the trial of water can certify the guilt or the innocence of the accused.

The ordeal takes place in the presence of 3,000 people gathered near the bridge. The queen is thrown from the bridge into the Gave, bound hand and foot. But instead of being engulfed by the living waters, her unconscious body resurfaces further down the river and deposited on the beach. The queen is declared innocent and is acclaimed by the crowd.