Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The canal of the monks of Aubazine is an irrigation canal of 1,700 m, built in the 12th century by the Cistercian monks of the Abbey of Obazine to feed their monastery with water. It was used for hygiene, milling, workshops and irrigation of vegetable gardens. Its layout, along the side of the Coiroux valley, is remarkable for its engineering: its constant low slope, retaining walls and diggings in granite rock, such as the Saint-Étienne breach.

The construction, initiated after 1142 under Abbé Étienne d'Obazine, required to divert the waters of the Coiroux upstream of the village. The monks cut the bed for more than 1.5 km and built thick walls to support the canal, sometimes 40 m above the precipice. A legend tells that Étienne, facing a block of granite obstructing the construction site, blessed him, causing his miraculous division.

Ranked a historic monument in 1965 and 1966, the canal was restored between 2006 and 2010 after damage caused by the 1999 storm, the 2003 heat wave and the lack of maintenance. It still feeds plots of the commune. Its path, accessible by a trail, ends in a rectangular basin (old pool) under the windows of the abbey's refectory.

The book illustrates the hydraulic expertise of Cistercians, combining practical utility (moulins, irrigation) and religious symbolism. The Saint-Étienne breach, the bathtubs and the braces carved in granite testify to their technical mastery. Despite the sale of the monastery to the Revolution, the canal remained in service, stressing its importance for the local community.

Architecturally, the canal alternates sections dug into the rock and granite walls assembled. Its gentle slope (0.5%) follows the curves of the mountain, while its final, more pentuous portion, flows into the abbatial pool. This system, still partially functional, is a rare medieval example of preserved monastic hydraulics.

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