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Origin and history

The Arcades' aqueduct, also known as "Rec Comtal" or "Las Canals", is a medieval bridge-aqueduct located on avenue d'Spain in Perpignan (Pyrénées-Orientales). Commanded by the kings of Majorca between the 12th and 14th centuries, it linked the Ille-sur-Têt Canal to the city to meet the growing needs of water, linked to urban expansion and craft activities. Measuring 300 m long, 4.60 m wide and 13 m high, it consists of 21 arcades in cayrou (Catalian bricks) and lime mortar, with a tenth arch enlarged to cross an old road, now replaced by a railway.

Originally, a wooden work, mentioned as early as 1338, was replaced between 1368 and 1378 by a masonry structure due to frequent repairs. This reshuffle coincides with the stay of the kings of Mallorca at the castle of Perpignan, during which time the city experienced a demographic and economic growth requiring a permanent hydraulic supply. The first canalized diversions date from the 12th century, but it was in the 14th century that the system was consolidated, integrating fountains, wells and aqueducts to compensate for the inadequacy of the sources and the Tet.

It was a key part of water management: it overcame a natural depression between the hills of Sant-Joan and Vanquer, maintained the flow despite the floods thanks to an upstream spillway, and allowed the passage of herds. A symbol of medieval engineering in Roussillon, it illustrates the adaptation of infrastructures to urban challenges, combining practical utility (irrigation, flood prevention) and integration into the landscape, as evidenced by its ranking at Historical Monuments in 1984.

In the 13th century, Perpignan's expansion to the south — with new neighbourhoods and artisanal densification — increased the demand for water. Although wells and Tet remained major resources, their inadequacy in the 15th century emphasized the long-term importance of the water pipeline. Built in sand, cayrou and lime, it also embodies the technical exchanges between Catalonia and Languedoc, using local materials such as the typical bricks of the region.

Today owned by the municipality, the Arcades' aqueduct remains an emblematic vestige of medieval hydraulic heritage, testifying to the strategy of the kings of Mallorca to modernize Perpignan. Its architecture, marked by niches crossing the pillars and a central low arch, reflects both a utility function and an aesthetic adapted to the topographic and social constraints of the time.

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