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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Jurieux Water Bridge is part of the Gier Waterway, one of four ancient aqueducts serving Lugdunum (Lyon). With its 86 km, it is the longest and best preserved. Probably built under Trajan (circa 110 AD), its route follows the relief from Saint-Chamond (Loire) to Lyon, crossing the Rhône. The remains of Jurieux, classified in 1991, are among the few complete bridges still visible.

The dating of the water pipe was debated: initially attributed to Claude or Auguste, discoveries such as the Stone of Chagnon (1887) evoking Hadrian, or wooden forms dated 110 (the Reign of Trajan) refined the hypotheses. The inscription of Chagnon, similar to that of the Pierre du Rieu (1996), prohibits tilling and planting near the work, taking over an Augustaean law. These texts confirm its strategic importance for Lugdunum.

Aqueduct uses a variety of Roman techniques: bridge-siphons (such as Beaunant's, classified in 1875), tunnels (e.g. 825 m in Mornant), and sights. The Jurieux Bridge, the only intact section, illustrates this engineering. Recent restorations (2009–2018) have preserved its arches, while excavations have revealed batteries and trimmings in opus reticulatum, rare in France.

Historical studies began in the 16th century with Lyon scholars such as Pierre Sala or Guillaume du Choul. In the 19th century, Paul de Gasparin and Germain de Montauzan map the work, while successive protections (1912, 1930, 1986) highlight its heritage value. Today, the aqueduct benefits from the Heritage Lotto (2018) and remains a major testimony of Roman engineering in Gaul.

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