Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Ambroix Bridge, also known as the Ambrussum Bridge, is a Roman building built in the 1st century (Julio-Claudian era) to cross the Vidour on Via Domitia, the main Roman way of Narbonnaise linking Italy to Spain. It is located at the edge of the communes of Gallargues-le-Montieux (Gard) and Villetelle (Hérault), near the Gallois poppidum d'Ambrussum. Originally 180 metres long with eleven arches, today only one remains, the fifth, after successive destruction caused by the floods of the Vidour and medieval demolitions.

The bridge was used until 1299, then partially dismantled in the Middle Ages to redirect traffic to the Lunel bridge, with a toll. The archives reveal that in 1745, a flood took the sixth ark, and that in 1933, a flood destroyed the fourth, the rubble of which was recovered in 1983 by archaeologists (J.-C. Bessac and J.-L. Records) for a hypothetical reconstruction. Ranked a historic monument in 1840, it is part of the archaeological site of Ambrussum, near the La Languedocienne motorway.

Built in large stone blocks assembled without mortar, with lead-sealed bronze staples, the bridge illustrates Roman civil engineering techniques. Its arches in the middle of the hang and its fore-beeks (now disappeared) were designed to resist the floods, but their modest size contributed to its fragility. The painting The Bridge of Ambrussum (1857) by Gustave Courbet and a 17th century drawing testify to its morphological evolution over the centuries.

The site, now touristic, allows to observe the remains of the fifth arch (10 meters range), as well as the remaining piles. The excavations and archaeological studies confirmed its key role in the ancient old network, linking Nimes to Montpellier and serving the oppidum of Ambrussum. The materials recovered in 1983, stored on the left bank, await possible restoration.

The bridge is owned by the municipalities of Gallargues-le-Montieux and Villetelle. Its early ranking (1840) underlines its heritage importance, while its proximity to the A9 motorway (exit Gallargues) makes it a place accessible to visitors interested in Roman history in Occitanie.

External links