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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The medieval bridge of Saurier, also known as Pont-Vieux, is a 15th-century building in the commune of Saurier, in the department of Puy-de-Dôme (region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes). It crossed the Couze Pavin River and entered on an old road route linking the Val d'Allier to the mountain. Its architecture, marked by three arches in the middle, reflects medieval construction techniques adapted to local hydraulic constraints.

Ranked a historic monument by order of 7 February 1907, the bridge has defensive and practical characteristics: its two batteries are equipped with beaks, designed to withstand floods while serving as shelters for pedestrians. One of these beaks houses an oratory dedicated to Notre-Dame de Pitié, a small square-plan building with a hemicircular bedside, illustrating the religious dimension of medieval infrastructures. At one end of the bridge, a building appears to have been used for the perception of a right of way.

Sources also mention the presence of two "stations" (shelters) above the batteries, one upstream, the other downstream, and a chapel integrated into the downstream pile. These elements highlight the multifunctional role of the bridge, both as a channel of communication, as a place of worship and as an economic control point. Owned by the commune, the work remains a major testimony of the architectural and historical heritage of the region.

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