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Origin and history

The Lequeduct from Mons to Fréjus, built in the 2nd century (although some sources evoke a construction from the 1st century), was a major Roman work intended to supply the city with water. It was 41,567 metres long, initially drawn from the Foux de Montauroux, before being completed by the source of the Siagnole some 20 years later, making it "bicephalous". Its route, mostly underground, followed an average slope of 1.1%, with spectacular aerial sections approaching Fréjus, where emblematic arches such as those of Sénéquier or the St. Croix bridge remain. Ranked a Historical Monument in 1886, it illustrates Roman engineering, despite uncertainties about its duration or its financing.

The construction of the pipeline was marked by technical challenges, including the crossing of the Lac-Taillée, where a monumental trench replaced a collapsed tunnel, or the steep descents of Pibresson and Callian plateau (8% slope without a slowing system). The materials used – lime mortar, tile, and local stones – reflect adaptation to various geological resources (karst, sediment, metamorphic). The coveted valleys, crossed by bridges rather than bypassed, were weak points: the dam (1 mm/year of carbonate deposits) and the Mediterranean floods regularly damaged the structure, requiring reconstruction.

It remained in service for about 305 years, until the siege of Fréjus in 1590, when it was sabotaged to starve the Huguenots (Carcists). Its route was partially reused: in 1794 for a municipal water line, in 1892 for an asbestos-cement line (fuelling Fréjus and Saint-Raphaël), and even today, where 5 to 7 km of the initial route are still functional. Remarkable remains remain, such as the Arches de l'Esquine, the Pont du Gargalon, or the Galerie des Vaux (852 m), while sections disappeared under the Lac de Saint-Cassien (created in 1962) or when the Malpasset dam broke down (1959).

The work, of extreme hardiness, is distinguished by the absence of decoration, with the exception of a bust in bas-relief to the arches of the Bouteillère, symbol of Roman power. The rare sights of visitation and the absence of siphons (except modern additions) underline a pragmatic conception. Carbonate deposits, studied for their annual stritation, now offer indices of the ancient climate of the region. Despite the destructions associated with urbanisation (therms of Villeneuve disappeared), the aqueduct remains a major testimony of Roman hydraulics in Provence, mixing technical heritage and contemporary reappropriations.

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