Training for Bridges and Chausses 1738 (≈ 1738)
Royal Road Classification.
avant 1750
Initial construction
Initial construction avant 1750 (≈ 1750)
Road completed before that date.
1772-1781
Major improvements
Major improvements 1772-1781 (≈ 1777)
Paving and final development.
1840
Correction of the route
Correction of the route 1840 (≈ 1840)
Move to the Loire.
1856
Decommissioning on the vicinal path
Decommissioning on the vicinal path 1856 (≈ 1856)
End of modern amenities.
30 juin 2023
Historic Monument Protection
Historic Monument Protection 30 juin 2023 (≈ 2023)
Registration by order.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The portion of the old royal road, in whole, at the place known as the Jarrier, including its ditches and its alignments of trees, as delimited on the plan annexed to the decree, situated on parcels 75 and 99 of section A, and parcels 40 and 1390 of section B of the cadastre of the commune and on a parcel not cadastral: inscription by order of 30 June 2023
Key figures
Philibert Orry - Comptroller General of Finance
Creator of the Ponts-et-Chaussées in 1738.
Louis XV - King of France
Regulates during road reforms.
Origin and history
The former Royal Road of La Celle-sur-Loire, located at the place called Le Jarrier, is part of the Great Road of Paris in Italy, a major axis of the French road network in the 18th century. Made before 1750, it was improved between 1772 and 1781 by the engineers of the Ponts-et-Chaussées, created by Philibert Orry in 1738 to modernize the ways of the kingdom. This 650-metre stretch, now protected, illustrates the standards of the era: a 20-metre wide paved road, lined with ditches and planted with oaks, designed to facilitate movement to borders and ports.
The road is divided into three unevenly preserved sections. The northern part (170 m) remains the most intact, with its visible cobblestones, berms and ditches, as well as original oaks. The central (250 m) and southern (190 m) sections show signs of erosion: the pavement, sometimes covered with soil or old bitumen, is bombarded, while the tree alignments have partially disappeared. Declassified as a vicinal road in 1856 after the rectification of the route of the national road 7, this portion escaped modernization, thus preserving its original structure.
The historical context of this road dates back to the beginning of the reign of Louis XV, when the deplorable state of the French roads motivated an ambitious reform. The 1738 instruction classified roads into categories, requiring a width of 60 feet (20 m), lateral ditches and tree plantations for large roads. These developments were aimed at securing trade and military exchanges, while structuring the territory. The section of La Celle-sur-Loire, with its technical characteristics and its original layout, bears witness to this desire to rationalise the old system under the Ancien Régime.
Protected by an order of June 30, 2023, this former royal road is now a historic monument of heritage and landscape value. Its conservation offers a rare in situ example of 18th century road techniques, while its early decommissioning (1856) explains its exceptional state of preservation. The parcels concerned (cadastre sections A and B) belong to the commune and private owners, without reported tourist use.
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