Aqueduc de Roquefavour (également sur commune d'Aix-en-Provence)
MonumentHidden Treasure
Aqueduc de Roquefavour (également sur commune d'Aix-en-Provence), located in Ventabren (Bouches-du-Rhône), is a medieval landmark built in the Middle Ages. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Period
- Medieval (11th-15th century)
- Location
- Ventabren, Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 43.5164, 5.3128
- Mérimée Reference
- PA13000037
A Titan of stone in Provence, the Roquefavour aqueduct surpasses the Pont du Gard in height: 83 metres of three superimposed arches carrying the waters of the Durance to Marseille since 1847.
History
Rising above the Arc valley like a challenge to Antiquity, the Roquefavour aqueduct is one of the most imposing masonry hydraulic structures ever built in France. Its three rows of superimposed arches, hewn from the light-coloured limestone of Provence, form a silhouette that rivals the greatest engineering achievements of the 19th century. What makes Roquefavour truly exceptional is this rare combination of functional ambition and formal beauty. Where other industrial buildings of the time sacrificed aesthetics for efficiency, the engineer Franz Mayor de Montricher designed a building whose proportions seem dictated as much by classical rigour as by hydraulic imperatives. The twelve large arches on the ground floor, the fifteen intermediate arches and the thirty-five small arches on the upper level follow one another with a coherence that delights the eye of the art lover as much as that of the engineer. Visitors are free to wander along the paths that run alongside the Arc, approaching the monumental piers and measuring the vertigo of these 83 metres of stone by looking up. Photographers will be delighted: depending on the time of day and the season, the Provençal light sculpts the volumes of the arches differently, offering perspectives that are sometimes golden, sometimes dramatically contrasting. Hikers will love taking the GR trail that crosses the valley and passes at the foot of the arch. The natural setting amplifies the grandiose impression of the building. The wooded valley of pines and holm oaks, the river Arc below and the surrounding garrigues create a wild setting that contrasts with the rigorous geometry of the monument. Whatever the season, and particularly in spring when the vegetation contrasts with the pale stone, Roquefavour offers one of the most breathtaking panoramas in Provence.
Architecture
The Roquefavour aqueduct is based on a structural logic inherited directly from Roman antiquity, but revisited in the light of advances in structural mechanics in the 19th century. The building is made up of three superimposed levels, each fulfilling a precise function in distributing loads and maintaining the height required to cross the valley. At the base, twelve large 15-metre arches rise to a height of 27.50 metres, their massive piers anchored in the rock of the valley. The middle level features fifteen arcades, each 16 metres wide and 34.10 metres high, which are more numerous but comparable in size. The upper level, which directly supports the water spout, has a line of thirty-five small round arches, each 5 metres wide, forming a repetitive, almost musical rhythm. The local limestone, quarried in the Aix-en-Provence region, gives the whole structure the warm blond hue typical of Provençal architecture. The care taken with the bonding - the precise assembly of the stone blocks with no visible mortar in the compression zones - reveals the mastery of the site's stonemasons. The overall dimensions are impressive: 82.65 metres in total height and 375 metres in length, making Roquefavour the highest masonry aqueduct in Europe when it was completed, surpassing the Pont du Gard by more than 22 metres. The upper channel, covered by a slight barrel vault, carries the water along the entire length of the structure, maintaining a gradient calculated to the nearest millimetre. This top channel, protected by adjoining slabs, ensures the continuous gravitational flow of water from the Durance. The whole structure is in a functional neo-classical style, where the absence of superfluous ornamentation paradoxically reinforces the aesthetic power of the structure.
Related Figures
Franz Mayor de Montricher — ingénieur polytechnicien, concepteur et maître d'œuvre de l'aqueduc et du canal de MarseilleEsprit Puget — maire de Marseille sous l'impulsion duquel le projet du canal fut lancéAuguste de Gasparin — préfet des Bouches-du-Rhône ayant soutenu administrativement le projet dans les années 1830Louis-Philippe Ier — roi de France sous le règne duquel les travaux débutèrent en 1838Napoléon III — sous l'Empire duquel l'ouvrage fut inauguré et célébré comme symbole du progrès français
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Aqueduc de Roquefavour (également sur commune d'Aix-en-Provence) located?
Aqueduc de Roquefavour (également sur commune d'Aix-en-Provence) is located in Ventabren, Bouches-du-Rhône department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, France.
When was Aqueduc de Roquefavour (également sur commune d'Aix-en-Provence) built?
Aqueduc de Roquefavour (également sur commune d'Aix-en-Provence) dates back to a period built in the Middle Ages (11th-15th century).
Is Aqueduc de Roquefavour (également sur commune d'Aix-en-Provence) open to visitors?
Aqueduc de Roquefavour (également sur commune d'Aix-en-Provence) is currently closed to visitors.