Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Old Brassac Bridge, built at the end of the 12th century (circa 1193) or in the 13th century, is a medieval work on the back of a donkey crossing the Agout on the Castres-Lacaune axis. Built in shale and granite, it consists of two central broken arches framed by two small arches in full hang on the banks. Its thick piles, with shelters for pedestrians, reflect a design adapted to mixed traffic (carts, pedestrians). A toll was installed there, as evidenced by a 1770 document.

During the Wars of Religion, the bridge marked the division between the Protestant districts (left bank, castle of Belfortès) and Catholic (right bank, castle of Castelnau). The two fortified castles, still visible today, were facing each other of the building. The bridge, initially narrower, was expanded in 1861 after the destruction of the new bridge by a flood, before being restored to its medieval state in 1867. Rings sealed in 1856 were used to dry sheets, recalling its artisanal use.

Ranked a historic monument in 1990, the old bridge underwent several restorations (1892, 1957, 2019). Its apron, only 2.25 m wide, preserves 19th-century crows and pedestrian shelters, characteristic of medieval bridges. The archives reveal that in 1770 his parapet was higher and that a grant occupied the left bank pile. Today, it symbolizes Brassac's turbulent history, between religious conflicts, technical adaptations and heritage preservation.

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