The Viaur valley and its bridges

Key facts about the Viaur

Source : Puech del Pal, altitude: 1090m

Length : 163 km (90 km in Aveyron and 70km in Aveyron/Tarn)

Confluence : Aveyron in Laguépie: altitude 150 m

Slope : average : 0,55 %. Upstream: 1 %, downstream: 0,25 %

Width : tributary : 30/35 m. Upstream : 5 m

Depth : 1 m on average

Watershed : 1530 sq.m. spread on 63 towns (55 in Aveyron, 7 in Tarn)

Rate of flow (Laguépie) : on average : 16,9 m3/s. Less then 1 at 500 m/s

Tributaries : 110 streams. 370 km on the whole.

Dams : Pont de Salars and Tanus on the Viaur, Pareloup and Bage on tributaries

The bridge of Grand Fuel

Bridge of approximately 55m long built with schist and sandstone. The judge for the Mountain and 4 Castles forbade the local lord of Salmiech (Arnal de Landorre) from taxing the Rodez and Cassagnes Bégonhès inhabitants for crossing the bridge. The biggest part of the bridge was constructed in the 14th century, and was partially rebuilt in 1382-1383, during the 18th century and in 1789.

From a technical point of view, this slightly arched bridge is composed of 2 lateral arches in the middle, and a median arch.

Bridge of Bonnecombe (or Devil's bridge)

When the traveller crosses the Devil's bridge and reaches the left bank, he faces the square tower of St Bernard (14th century) on which are carved the Abbey coats. An impressive cross sits on the top of the tower. A big gate gives access to the old Abbey of Bonnecombe and its cloister, church and gardens...

In the middle of the 12th century, the cenobites settled in Bonnecombe in order to detach themselves from the outside world, to lead a life of self-sacrifice. Bonnecombe, situated deep in the Gorge du Viaur, in the forest of Lafon, was the ideal place for retreat, and this cloistered order received many donations as well as the protection of the Bishop of Rodez.

The place became a cistercian monastery consecrated in 1167 by the Priest Gausbert of the Abbey of Candeil in Albigeois. The Abbey was closed in 1792 and its estate sold by the government.

The Bishop of Rodez bought the buildings back from the Mines de Carmaux company in 1876, and gave it to the cistercian monks of Aiguebelle. These monks started the restoration of the site and the church, consecrated in 1891.

The Abbey was home to Trappist monks, then Orthodox monks in 1965 who left 3 years later. From 1968 to 1980, a rehabilitation center was installed in the Abbey. In 1980, ten members of the "communauté de l'Arche" settled there, and three years later, eighty additional members had joined them.

Nowadays, the members of the "communauté des Béatitudes" live in the Abbey, working towards its renovation.

The architecture of the Devil's bridge seems to be dated from the 12th century, and would thus be built at the same time as the Abbey of Bonnecombe in 1167.
Two legends evoke the building of this bridge. The first legend alludes to a pact between the architect and the devil, who, in exchange for his help constructing the bridge, asks for the life of the first being to cross the bridge. But, unluckily for the devil, the first person to cross the bridge was.... a cat! The second legend, less famous, refers to a giant who drinks from the bridge, and swallows a cart. 

Bridge of the Capelle Viaur

This bridge was probably built before the 17th century, above a passage from the Middle Ages used for the transit of livestock.

The Viaur passage was under the responsibility of the Count of Landorre, who collected a passage tax on the bridge.

The Count's castle, which has now completely disappeared, was situated downstream the left bank of the Viaur.

Later, a post house was installed, for coaches going from Rodez to Villefranche de Panat through Arvieu.

A new bridge replaced the old bridge in 1904. The old bridge was demolished in 1906, but some remains still stands right under the current bridge.

Pont de Salars

In the heart of Aveyron, Pont-de-Salars is one of the gateways to the hills of the Lévézou, with an altitude of 700 meters. The word Salars evokes the latin "sal ", which means salt. The « Salaria Via » was the name of the road used to transport the salt coming from the Mediterranean sea. The "langue d'Oc" probably transforms the word " Salaria " into "Salars", to designate a place where the salt was transported.

The Roman road used to take the old bridge of Camboulas (owned by the count of Rodez) to cross the Viaur. This taxed road was popular and used by the salt merchants and their caravans.

To avoid the " gabelle ", the salt tax, the farmers would trade with the " faux-sauniers ", the salt smugglers. These smugglers rode mules, and had to cross the Viaur as inconspicuously as possible; a road going through the woods helped them to supply the towns and villages of Rouergue, Quercy and Auvergne.

That's how, in the past, Pont-de-Salars was a place of smugglers, poachers and thieves, all wanting to avoid the roman road and its checks. Around this place, a village appeared, many bridges were built, but the legend still lives.

The village's bridge is evoked in 1198. Travelers had the habit of stopping in Pont de Salars, in the bridge hospital which they used as a shelter.

In 1745, a new bridge, with a length of 42,3 m and made of stone, was constructed. It was composed of six arches and a few gargoyles, witnesses of the 18th century. It was later destroyed by a flood and replaced with the current iron bridge.

In 1952, a dam was constructed in order to prevent more floods, changing for ever the surrounding landscape. 

Bridge of Saint Georges de Camboulas

This bridge was built above an old mule rout, as is told by the Legend of Pas de Saint Georges, the bishop of Lodève who, to escape an ambush organized by the Sarrasins, jumped across the valley with his horse. When the horse landed on the ground, it left a hoof print on a rock. Look out for this trace!

The 33,60 m long bridge appeared on the land registry in 1825 and was probably built in these days. The triangular base of the iron cross was certainly part of the original bridge.

Bridge of Camboulas

Camboulas village lies in a deep valley, and was for a long time a busy passage between Rodez and Millau. There was no bridge to cross the Viaur in Camboulas, so the travellers had to use big flat stones to make their way over the river. 

Upstream, under the little Barry, a "planque" (wooden footbridge) is bellieved to have been built around 1500. The "planques" were relatively easy to build: a dry stone wall on each bank, spanned by tree trunks. Branches and earth filled the interstices. The base of one of these "planques" can still be seen nowadays.

The bridge of Camboulas is near Camboulas-le Poujol, following the trail of the old road from Rodez to Millau. According to the cadastre and a note from 1851, it was a three arches and two mainstays bridge, shaped like a nose cone.
The count of Rodez collected a toll in 1171. The 9 September 1909 flood destroyed most of the bridge, sparing only the smaller arch, on the left bank. The two missing arches were replaced with a footbridge for the locals, and it was decided a new bridge, with only one arch, would be built in a more convenient place, under the castle. 

This place was home to many windmills (12th century), a leprosarium (13th century) and a school (14th century). Under the Ancien Regime, the township of Camboulas started a cloth weaving industry, but it collapsed due to the bad quality of the produced fabric. 

La Clau

The Viaur takes its source in Lévézou, at the Pic du Pal (altitude: 1090 m.) on the township of Vezins, on a plateau which used to be covered with moors, ferns and gorse bushes. Nowadays, the plateau is covered with fields. The Viaur has approximately twenty sources, and many streams and affluents feed it along its path.

Source Jean Delmas - "Contrat de Rivière Viaur"