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Origin and history

The Roman aqueduct of Saints, built around the year 20 under the Julio-Claudians, was a major hydraulic work intended to supply Mediolanum Santorum (Saints) with drinking water. It supplied the spas of Saint-Vivian and Saint-Saloine, as well as public fountains, thanks to a network of 60 cm deep stone pipes, operating a slope of less than 1 mm/m. Its route, 18 km long, combined underground tunnels, open-air vents and bridges-aqueducts, as the 160 m canal bridge still partially visible at Vallon des Arcs.

Three phases of construction have been completed. The first, centred on the source of Font Morillon (Fontcouverte), dates back to the 1920s. A major extension, between 70 and 120, doubled the flow rate by integrating the sources of the Douhet and Venerand, with wider galleries. A third slice, discovered in 2010, remains undated. The ensemble ceased to function in the fourth century, but its remains—bridge piles, underground sections and basins—are evidence of its engineering, as the vaulted hall of Font Morillon, today being excavated.

The sources, still active, were captured via stone basins (such as the 3 m half circle at Font Morillon) and parallel canals. The system used gravity on a minimum elevation, with suspected siphons to cross the Charente. The Romans have reused natural faults, as in Grand Font, already exploited in protohistory. The materials were largely reused after abandonment, leaving only fragmentary traces, including two piles of the canal bridge and visiting galleries.

Archaeological excavations, initiated in the 18th century, were systematized by Abel Triou ( 1960s), who reconstructed the complete route. Since 2003, teams such as Bernard Bourgueil (SAHCM) and Jean-Louis Hillairet (Inrap) have revealed a third superimposed aqueduct and wells filled. A committee led by the municipalities, the DRAC and associations has been working since 2012 to preserve it and open it to the public, while a section of the pipeline is exposed to the archaeological museum of Saintes.

The daily flow estimated in 1979 by Mr. Bailhache was 19,375 m3 for the most productive source of the Douhet. However, limestone deposits had reduced pipe capacity by half at the end of the operation. The visible remains also include 18th- to 19th-century washhouses, built near the springs, such as Font Morillon, where the water still flows in the open air on much of the route.

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