Roman Bridge - Ponte de Lima

The main symbol of Ponte de Lima, which together with the river bears the name of the city, is the bridge.

In reality, it is a composition of two bridges: a medieval part, which is larger, begins on the left bank of the river and extends to the church of Santo António da Torre Velha and beyond, for the length of two more arches. After that, the Roman part of the bridge begins. It is only five arches long, starting from the large arch that already lies on the old, dry riverbed.

As you descend the stairs you can also see the foundations of the Old Tower , perhaps the first of the old medieval defence system.

The Roman bridge probably dates back to the 1st century , because at that time one of the Roman military roads was opened, the "Conventus Bracaraugustanus", which connected Braga to Astorga, more precisely the Via XIX, opened by Emperor Augustus.

As for the medieval part of the bridge, although we can go back in time at least to the reigns of Pedro I and Fernando (who are directly linked to the construction of the walls and towers that fortified the city, completed in 1370) or even King Dinis (according to the documents that mention a bridge that could also have been made of wood ) we know for sure of the existence of the medieval bridge during the reign of Manuel I, to be precise in 1504, since this monarch ordered the new paving of the bridge and its decoration with battlements that were no longer necessary as a defensive and military option.

Willem Vandenameele