Annual closure of the RESERVOIR reopening on April 5, 2025 at 2:00 p.m.
The site chosen by Pierre-Paul Riquet to build the water reservoir for the Canal du Midi is now at the heart of the Occitanie region, in the foothills of the Montagne Noire. It's attached to a region that's home to culture, heritage, the local community, economic activities and nature tourism.
Discover the region:
See the website
History of the Canal du Midi
The PP Riquet project: a canal to link the 2 seas
November 15: In a memoir written to Colbert, Pierre-Paul Riquet presents his water supply project for a canal to link the Seas with the waters of the Montagne Noire, "so that when joined together, being as they are all living and long-lived sources, they will form a large river which, when brought to the point of division, will make the canal sufficiently full on both sides throughout the year".
Authorization to start work
May 26: a decree from the King's Council authorizes Riquet to begin digging a trial channel. In October, the channel is dug and Riquet demonstrates the feasibility of his project.
The Royal Edict of Louis XIV
October 7, 1666: Louis XIV issued a royal edict ordering the construction of "a transnavigation canal to join the Ocean and Mediterranean seas, and to open a new port in the Mediterranean on the shores of our province of Languedoc".
The 1st stone for the Saint-Ferréol dam
April: laying of the foundation stone for the Saint-Ferréol dam. A regular water supply was essential to the smooth operation of the canal. After considering the construction of several small water stores, Riquet decided, under the influence of Chevalier de Clerville (a military engineer and member of the commission charged with assessing the feasibility of the Canal du Languedoc project), to build just one: the Saint-Ferréol reservoir.
Start of testing
Completion of the gully system and the Saint-Ferréol dam. Start of water tests on the Toulouse-Naurouze section.
Navigation
Navigation begins on the Toulouse-Castelnaudary section
Inauguration...
May 19, 1681: navigation is opened to the entire canal after being inaugurated with great fanfare.
Canal inspection by Vauban
December: Vauban is commissioned to inspect the canal, which is in poor condition. He recommended a number of modifications, which were carried out by Antoine Niquet between 1686 and 1694. The breakthrough at Les Cammazes, the enlargement of the Saint-Ferréol dam and the construction of aqueducts and canal bridges were to bring lasting improvements to the canal's operation.
The Brienne Canal
Inauguration of the Brienne canal linking the Garonne to the Canal du Midi in Toulouse.
Inauguration of the Lampy Neuf dam
Inauguration of the Lampy Neuf dam, designed by engineer François Garipuy. This second reservoir meets the increased demand for water resulting from the connection of the Canal du Midi with the Jonction and Robine canals.
At the source of the Canal du Midi
Grand site Occitanie
Along with Sorèze and Revel, Saint-Ferréol is one of the 40 Grands Sites Occitanie. Shaped by its natural and heritage riches, its landscapes and its culture, it is ranked as one of the major tourist sites in the Occitanie region.
The Saint-Ferréol dam and water supply system
on the Canal du Midi listed as a World Heritage Site
Since 1996, the Canal du Midi and its supply system have been listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. As such, the Saint-Ferréol dam, the centerpiece of the system, is part of the canal property recognized as "of outstanding universal value as one of the most extraordinary achievements of civil engineering in the modern era (...) In addition, it combines technological innovation with great aesthetic concern for the architecture and landscapes created, an approach rarely found elsewhere".
World Heritage Committee - December 1996
Discover also
Discovery Area & Park
Who are we?
The faucet gallery
Events
Practical info
Opening hours
Rates
Visitors with
disabilities
SCHEDULES
RATES
VISITORS WITH DISABILITIES
FAQ
