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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Laveyra Bridge, located on the Auvézère in Payzac, is a historical monument built between the 13th and 15th centuries. According to local tradition, it was built by the English in the 14th century, although this dating had to be expanded because of the architectural characteristics of its broken central arch. This bridge is distinguished by a structure consisting of two full lateral arches and a central arch on the back of a donkey, reinforced by triangular fore-beeks upstream and rectangular after-beeks downstream, including pedestrian shelters.

The deck piles are constructed in irregular shale, while the head arches are consolidated with elongated bellows. The base, more regular, suggests a construction technique adapted to the hydraulic stresses of the Auvézère. Although its route is associated with an ancient Gallo-Roman route, this hypothesis is more a matter of oral tradition than of tangible archaeological evidence. The bridge, a communal property, was inscribed in the Historical Monuments by order of 2 July 1987.

The architecture of the bridge reflects the defensive and practical needs of the medieval era, with amenities such as pedestrian refuges integrated with the aft-becs. These elements indicate both military and civilian use, typical of strategic structures built during periods of conflict, such as the Hundred Years War. The schist apparatus and irregular masonry techniques recall the local resources and craftsmanship of the region, adapted to the materials available in the Périgord.

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