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Origin and history

The Medici aqueduct, also called aqueduct of the waters of Rungis, was built in the 17th century on the order of Marie de Medici to supply drinking water to Paris. It captures the sources of Rungis (Val-de-Marne) and follows an underground route of 10,420 meters, crossing Gentilly, Arcueil, Cachan and other communes before reaching the capital. Launched in 1623, it initially supplied the Palace of Luxembourg and 14 public fountains on the left bank, some of which still remain today. Its only bridge-aqueduct, in Arcueil-Cachan, crosses the Bièvre valley and is classified as a historical monument.

The construction began in 1613 under the direction of Jean Coingt and was taken over by his son-in-law Jean Gobelain after his death in 1614. The young Louis XIII laid the first stone of the "Louis-XIII look" at Rungis, marking the start of the work. The lake was completed in 1623, but complete irrigation of the Parisian fountains was not effective until 1628. Its layout, partly inspired by the Gallo-Roman waterworks of Lutece, avoids private property thanks to strict easements (ban of septic tanks or toxic deposits nearby).

In the 19th century, the Parisian part was declassified: the waters, once directed towards the Observatory, were redirected to the reservoirs of the Pantheon, then to Lake Montsouris after 1904. Today, the water supply — still managed by Eau de Paris — is no longer fed more than by the sources of the Paray plain and the hillsides of the Bièvre, the original catchments of Rungis being tarnished by urbanization. The underground gallery, 1 metre wide and 1.75 metre high, retains its original structure in millstone, with gazes (access plates) classified or inscribed in historical monuments.

Among the remarkable elements, the Arcueil-Cachan Water Bridge (379 m long, 18.86 m high) overlooks the Bièvre Valley and overlooks the Cachan Cemetery. Designed by Thomas Francine and Louis Métezeau, it takes over the site of a Gallo-Roman bridge. Eyes Nos. 1 (Rungis), 3 (Fresnes) and 13 (Arcueil) are classified, while others, such as No. 27 (the Observatory's water castle), once housed the residence of the royal fontainerier. Although water is no longer drinking water, the work bears witness to four centuries of hydraulic engineering.

The Medici aqueduct is part of a broader history of water management in Paris, marked by recurring supply challenges. Under Henry IV, the left bank, without fountains, benefited particularly from the project, which was later carried by Marie de Médicis to feed his palace in Luxembourg. Sources, formerly known for their clarity, were gradually polluted by urbanization in the 20th century. Today, the aqueduct — owned by the City of Paris — is both a functional vestige and a heritage protected, studied and enhanced by associations such as historic Paris.

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