Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Pont-aqueduct des Cinq-Cantons is an emblematic work located in Loriol-du-Comtat, in the department of Vaucluse, in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Built around 1850, it is an integral part of the Carpentras Canal network, designed to transport Durance waters to agricultural lands and surrounding cities. Its functional architecture, typical of the 3rd quarter of the 19th century, met the growing needs of irrigation and economic development of the region, while marking the landscape by its imposing structure over the D950 departmental road.

This historic monument, registered since 2001, reflects the expertise of the engineers of the time, including Conte, Perrier, Masselin and Gendarme. Their work has made it possible to reconcile practical utility and durability, integrating the water pipeline into a wider hydraulic system. The Carpentras Canal, of which it is an essential link, played a key role in the water supply of the Comtat Venaissin plain, thus supporting local agriculture, dominated by the cultivation of fruits, vegetables and vines.

The strategic location of the water bridge north of Carpentras reflects its importance in the flow of resources between the cities of Carpentras and Orange. By crossing a major road like the D950, it also symbolizes the desire to modernize infrastructure under the Second Empire, a period marked by a boom in major public works. Today, there remains a remarkable vestige of this industrial heritage, attracting the attention of historians and enthusiasts of hydraulic architecture.

External links