Pont aqueduc de la Canaù, ouvrage d'art du canal Saint-Julien sur la rivière le Coulon, situé au quartier Entre-Deux-Vallats

English translation

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History

Located less than two kilometres north of Cavaillon, the aqueduct-bridge of the Canaù is the most remarkable structure of the canal Saint-Julien. Attested since the 12th century, this is one of the earliest experiments in irrigation in medieval Europe, becoming subsequently one of the major elements of a complex hydraulic network serving the entire territory. In the middle of the 16th century, on the initiative of a wealthy landowner, the canal was to span the river thanks to an aqueduct-bridge in order to irrigate the plain of the Plan quarter. This bridge consists of two arches in ashlar stone, joined at their apex but diverging at the base, built on the two banks of the river. A wooden channel in which the canal flowed was suspended from the structure, between the two arches, by iron crooks. Only the arches and the deck are still visible today. The aqueduct-bridge is an innovative construction considered as the predecessor of English bow-string bridges, although the structure and physical principle of the work differ nonetheless.