LES GORGES DU PONT DU DIABLE
THE GORGES OF THE DEVIL'S BRIDGE
After
40 years as a prisoner of the Turkish Sultan in the penal colony of Akka in
what is now Israel, 'Abdu'l-Bahá, the son of the founder of the Bahá'í
Faith, was finally able to travel to the West. After landing in Marseille,
He came to Thonon-les-Bains on the shores of Lake Geneva on 22 August 1911,
stopped in Geneva at the Hotel de la Paix from 31 August to 4 September, and
then traveled to London. While in Thonon, He went with some of the friends
on an excursion in the mountains behind Thonon to visit the gorges of the
Devil's Bridge, so called because in the Middle Ages, villagers who slipped
off the precarious path while trying to cross were said to have been seized
by the Devil. The Drance River has cut a deep narrow gorge in the calcareous
rock, and a large block of stone that has fallen from the valley wall across
the gorge forms a natural bridge. The spectacular sight has been a tourist
attraction since the 19th century, when wooden walkways and stairs were
constructed to make the gorge accessible. The river now has less water, as a
dam has been constructed above the gorges. 'Abdu'l-Bahá was drawn to this
place of spectacular natural beauty.
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The original stairs and walkways in 1900
As part of the Swiss commemoration of the centenary of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's visit,
a field trip was organized to the Gorges of the Devil's Bridge on 28 August
2011, a hundred years after 'Abdu'l-Bahá's own walk down into the gorges. We
benefited from new steel stairs and walkways constructed on both sides of
the gorge in the 1950s. Still, it was touching to imagine how 'Abdu'l-Bahá,
who like his Father loved the beauty and spirituality of nature, must have
felt in such a beautiful spot.
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Start of the walk down to the gorge
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The path and stairs wind down the valley side to the visitors centre,
where we could see the steep rock faces above the gorge
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Our guide explained the origins of the gorges and the Devil's Bridge
in the visitors centre
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Swiss Bahá'í group in the visitors' centre
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We descended steep stairs and ramps where the river has cut a narrow
gorge in the rock
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The water has carved the stone into fantastic patterns lit by the
light filtering down from the forest above
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After looking up at the stairs we had descended, we had our first
view of the Devil's Bridge, a big stone across the gorge
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The guide explained how the bridge got its name
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The walkway winds through the spectacular gorge above the river
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We could see the Devil's Bridge from the other side
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We walked up the river, admiring the blend of stone and water, before
finally emerging into the forest
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As we climbed up the valley side, we could see the Devil's Bridge
from above, and appreciate how difficult it was to cross it
The visit was a kind of pilgrimage in nature, with the beauty of the spot
and signs of the natural forces that had created it combined with thoughts
of its association with 'Abdu'l-Bahá and the example He set for all of us.
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Photographs copyright © Arthur Lyon Dahl 2011