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Origin and history

The bridge of the Ship, or bridge of the Moutier, is a stone work crossing the Durolle in the Moutier district of Thiers. Built between the 16th and 17th centuries, it is one of the oldest bridges in the city with the Vielh Bridge, the Saint John Bridge and the Seychalles Bridge. Its massive architecture, with three dissymmetric arches and reinforced piles, reflects a robust design to withstand frequent river floods. It has been listed as a Historic Monument since 1926.

The bridge is also known as the "Oschon Bridge" (meaning the "cale bridge" in auvergnat) or the "Roronde Bridge", with reference to the fields of culture that once occupied this area before its urbanization in the 20th century. Beginning in the 20th century, it was also nicknamed the Ship Bridge because of the presence of a metal vessel installed in 1985 at a sculpture symposium. This nickname also evokes a hypothetical activity of navigation or flotation on the Durolle, although historical evidence remains limited.

The construction of the bridge is dated between the beginning of the 16th century and the first half of the 17th century, because it does not appear on a drawing by Thiers in the Armorial of Revel (middle of the 15th century), where the quarter of the Moutier is represented with a simple wooden bridge. A 1730 plan describes it as a "formerly built bridge," confirming this period. The materials used, such as the blue-grey granite and yellowish-skinned tarkose for parts in contact with the water, as well as the visible repairs (1753, 1785), testify to its regular maintenance.

The bridge played a symbolic and practical role for Thiers, connecting neighbourhoods and facilitating transport. Until the 1970s, it supported a double-way traffic, regulated by fires, before becoming one-way. A pedestrian iron and wood bridge has been added to preserve the bridge of the walkways. Its inscription in 1926 underscores its heritage importance, while its panorama of the medieval high city makes it a popular place for the inhabitants.

Attempts to make the Durolle navigable between the bridge of the Moutier and the Dore are attested in the 17th century (1615–78), with studies in 1628 and 1666, and funds unlocked to install a cable of haulage. However, the project was abandoned due to its unprofitability and maintenance difficulties. Although some historians suggest a possible downstream port ("viro barco" in patois) or an ancient flotation of wood and goods, there is no definitive evidence. The Thiers cutlery, tannery and stationery used the Dore ports in Peschadoires and Puy-Guillaume for their exports.

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