ÉCLUSE DU SANGLIER
The lock of the wild boar, built in 1670 and located after the bridge-canal of Ticaille in Ayguevives
In navigation, after the bridge-canal of Ticaille, we reach the lock of the Boar, built in 1670. But why such a name? It is said that during the construction of the Canal du Midi at Ayguesvives, the walls of the locks kept collapsing, so much so that the workers decided to make a pact with the devil. If he agreed to consolidate their constructions, they would sacrifice for him the first soul who passed by. It was... a wild boar, immediately slaughtered, and its soul was offered to the devil! It was Jean-François de Montesquieu, a skilled hunter from the Lauragais region, who had been chasing an old boar that was devastating the crops for a long time, who killed the boar, well almost. It is said that the boar, after a long hunt, was spotted and cornered at the edge of the lock. The hunter cocked his crossbow, the animal jumped into the water and disappeared! The lock was emptied, but its remains were never found. However, the crops around were never again damaged by this boar, which ceased to terrorize the peasants. So the inhabitants of Ayuguesvives decided to name the new lock in memory of this episode of miraculous hunting and nevertheless linked to the Devil. The other lock of the commune took the name of the place where it is located. It is called the lock of Ticaille or simply the lock of Ayuesvives. Finally, the solidity of the walls of the bridge-canal remained relative until the engineers decided to round them for a better resistance to the pressure of water...
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