Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The bridge of the Belles Fontaines, built between 1724 and 1728 in Juvisy-sur-Orge, was designed to extend the royal road from Paris to Fontainebleau (now Nationale 7). It allows to cross the Orge and, later, the railway line Paris-Orléans (1843). Ranked a historical monument in 1914, it symbolizes the engineering of the eighteenth century, with a cradle vault of 11.8 meters in diameter and monumental fountains added in homage to Louis XV.

Four key figures marked his construction: François Romain (Dominican and engineer, preliminary studies in 1714-1715), Jean-François Mignot (financer, grand voyer appointed in 1722), Jacques de La Guépière (controller of the works, inspector since 1716), and Claude Bonneau (entrepreneur, owner of the contracts in 1724 and 1728). The fountains, carved by artists from the Academy, gave their name to the bridge after the discovery of sources on site. They were displaced in 1970 when the N7 was enlarged.

The site, in two phases (1724-1726 and 1728), experienced an incident in 1727 with the collapse of a wall, solved by the addition of seven double arches. The adjacent embankment, drilled in 1843 for rail and expanded in 1974, illustrates the successive adaptations of the site. The fountains, originally intended to water the horses, were relocated to the municipal park, near the castle of the Cour de France.

The bridge is part of a larger landscape: a 777-metre trench dug in the hillside (reused for embankment) and a 1,677-metre rise to Viry-Châtillon. Its architecture reflects the royal ambition to master nature, typical of the Louis XV era, where public works also served as political symbols.

Today, the bridge, a communal property, remains a major witness to the history of transportation in Île-de-France. Its expansion in 1970 (from 9 to 16.25 meters) and the presence of RER C under its arches underline its long-lasting role in local infrastructure, between heritage and modernity.

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