\b0 In a protected position on a bend of the river Lot, the city of Cahors (already prosperous in the G
allo-Roman era) expanded in the Middle Ages as a result of its position, with some of its inhabitants establishing a reputation as bankers and moneylenders. The cathedral of Saint-Etienne, consecrated in 1119, recalls the city's wealth and importance, wh
ile the ValentrΘ bridge, a fortified construction from the fourteenth century with three towers, is a peerless example of a synthesis between civil and military architecture built along one of the major routes of medieval France.\par
