Paul and Virginie

Paul and Virginie monument at Poudre D’or

The most famous Mauritian myth is undeniably the one of «Paul and Virginie». It was inspired by the sinking of the Saint Géran on the northeast coast. A small monument marks the spot where the ship sank.

The legend tells that Paul, of humble origin, awaited the return of his beloved Virginie, of noble blood. Her ship, the Saint Géran crashed against rocks. It is said that Paul jumped into the water and swam to his beloved who, shy and chaste, refused to remove her clothes to follow him back to shore. Finally, her waterlogged Victorian clothes dragged her to the bottom, and she drowned. The book of Bernardin de Saint-Pierre tells that Paul died of grief afterwards.

source https://www.tourism-mauritius.mu/en-int/discover/the-north.html