The town was originally sited on the St Pierre hilltop surrounding a (now vanished) castle and walls built by the Dukes of Burgundy and the 13th/14th century Chapelle de Notre Dame Trouvée (Chapel of Our Lady Found).

Beginning in the 16th century the town was rebuilt further down in the valley and in 1868 the new St Pierre church was built in what is now the city center.

From the twelfth century, the town was a regional agricultural center, specializing in wheat and later hemp, oils, skins, wool and sheep.

It was built in the late 19th century to accommodate barge traffic in lieu of installing frequent locks on the canal; it is a subtle engineering masterpiece.

The office of tourism located at the port offers a trip through this 3.3 km tunnel on a boat called the Billebaude.