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Origin and history

The Negra Lock is a single bedroom lock located on the Canal du Midi, near Villefranche-de-Lauragais, in Languedoc. Built around 1670, it is 33.3 km from Toulouse (Ponts-Jumeaux) and allows the canal to cross the Thesauque via a red brick canal bridge. A small chapel and related buildings ( stables, shops, lock house) complete the whole, reflecting its historical role in river transport and the reception of passengers.

The lock, at an altitude of 166 m, is framed by the locks of Laval (east) and the Sanglier (west). It was redesigned in the 19th century, notably by Urban Maguès in 1838-1839, which modified the downstream bridge. The environment also includes a barn dating from 1750 and buildings linked to the old dine (relay) of the post-barque, built by engineer Niquet around 1700. The ensemble, including the chapel still in service, was listed as historical monuments in 1998.

The site includes a large aqueduct-bridge built in 1688-1689 by Dominique Gillade under the direction of Vauban. This aqueduct, upstream of the lock, illustrates 17th century hydraulic engineering. The adjacent buildings, such as stables with their preserved feeders or the cooler for goods in transit, testify to the logistical organization around the canal. The central cochère porch, made of cut stone with a barely spanned key, and the dark grey marne corner chains are remarkable architectural elements.

The Negra lock was also used as a decor for the film La Veuve Couderc. Its picturesque setting, combined with its history of river trade and travel, makes it an emblematic site of the industrial and architectural heritage of Occitanie. Subsequent extensions, visible on the Napoleonic cadastre of 1824, show a continuous evolution of the site, while maintaining traces of its original structure.

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