Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The canal from Gorze to Metz, built around the beginning of the second century, supplied Divodurum (Metz), the capital of the Mediomatrics, with water for its 20,000 inhabitants, its thermal baths, fountains and public latrines. Its 22 km route connected the source of Bouillons (near Gorze, at 208 m above sea level) to Metz (184 m), combining 12.7 km of underground pipeline, a 1,125 km water bridge crossing the Moselle between Ars-sur-Moselle and Jouy-aux-Arches, and then an additional 8 km underground. Today, there are only remains: two basins, about twenty arches (including sixteen in Jouy-aux-Arches), and underground sections visible between Gorze and Noveant-sur-Moselle.

The construction involved advanced Roman techniques: radiate on oak piles for foundations, piles of cut stone filled with Roman concrete (mixture of lime mortar, crushed bricks and rubble), and double piped pipe to ensure a constant flow. The materials – wood, local stone, bricks and lime made on site – were assembled using tools such as chorobat (level), groma (alignment), and wooden lifting equipment. The steep slope (4 m by 1.1 km) avoided winter frost and limited sand deposits, while eyes allowed regular maintenance of ducts.

The system consisted of two key basins: a settling tank at Ars-sur-Moselle, where water was filtered before crossing the water bridge, and a circular basin at Jouy-aux-Arches, designed to break the current before distribution to Metz. This basin, like the pipeline, was covered to protect the water from the weather. Aqueduct, classified as a historical monument since 1840 (classified in 1980 and 1990), illustrates Roman engineering in the service of a strategic city, crossroads of the Lyon-Trèves and Reims-Strasbourg roads.

The aqueduct bridge, 1.1 km long with 110 to 120 original arches, crossed the Moselle with its meander. Its square piles, up to 30 m high, supported an 85 cm wide double pipe, allowing uninterrupted maintenance of supply. The current remains – six batteries and five arches on the Ars-sur-Moselle side, eighteen batteries and seventeen arches on the Jouy side – bear witness to its past grandeur. The final drive, partly following the Moselle, joined Metz near the amphitheatre, although its exact course after Augny remains uncertain.

Ranked among the first French historic monuments in 1840, the waterworks from Gorze to Metz are a remarkable example of Roman hydraulic infrastructure in Gaul. His study is based on archaeological and historical sources, including works by Victor Jacob (1854) or Claude Lefebvre (2002), as well as excavations revealing sculptures and paintings dedicated to water deities. Today, he draws attention to his engineering and his role in the ancient urban planning of Metz, then major city of the Empire.

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