A bridge chapel is a small place of

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

worship, built either on, or immediately adjacent to, a

road bridge A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...

; they were commonly established during pre-

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

era in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

. Although sometimes built on land at the very start of the bridge, bridge chapels were often built into the bridge structure itself, usually on one of the

pier A pier is a raised structure that rises above a body of water and usually juts out from its shore, typically supported by piling, piles or column, pillars, and provides above-water access to offshore areas. Frequent pier uses include fishing, b ...

s which had been made especially large for the purpose. These chapels were intended to minister to the spiritual needs of travellers passing over the bridge. Many were established as

chantries A chantry is an ecclesiastical term that may have either of two related meanings: # a chantry service, a set of Christian liturgical celebrations for the dead (made up of the Requiem Mass and the Office of the Dead), or # a chantry chapel, a bu ...

, where a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

was employed to say

mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...

es for passers by and for the repose of the souls of the bridge's benefactors. In some instances, the priest would be responsible for collecting tolls from bridge users.Cook, Martin (1998
''Medieval Bridges''
, Shire Publications Ltd, (pp. 38-42) The cost of maintaining a priest or

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intellige ...

could be very high, so some less well endowed bridges had a resident

hermit A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Chr ...

, whose duties, including collecting tolls and working on repairs, were regarded as acts of religious devotion. In

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, the end of these institutions came with the

, when the Abolition of Chantries Acts, 1545 and 1547 led either to their demolition or to their conversion to secular use.

Some notable examples

Pont Saint-Bénézet The Pont Saint-Bénézet (; Provençal: ), also known as the Pont d'Avignon (), was a medieval bridge across the Rhône in the town of Avignon, in southern France. Only four arches survive. An early wooden bridge spanning the Rhône betwee ...

Avignon Avignon (, , ; or , ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the left bank of the river Rhône, the Communes of France, commune had a ...

, France, Chapel of Saint Nicholas; 12th century, restored from 1878 * The Town Bridge,

Bradford-on-Avon Bradford-on-Avon (sometimes Bradford on Avon) is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in west Wiltshire (district), Wiltshire, England, near the border with Somerset. The town's canal, historic buildings, shops, pubs and restauran ...

, England, a medieval chapel later rebuilt as a lock up *

Old Exe Bridge The Old Exe Bridge is a ruined medieval arch bridge in Exeter in south-western England. Construction of the bridge began in 1190, and was completed by 1214. The bridge is the oldest surviving bridge of its size in England and the oldest bridge ...

Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...

, England, St Edmund on the Bridge; built c. 1200, rebuilt 1833 and demolished 1973 except the medieval tower. *

St Mary's Bridge Chapel St Mary's Bridge Chapel is a Church of England chapel in Derby, England. It is a bridge chapel, one of only a small number of medieval age that survive in England. It is a Grade I listed building. The Chapel of St Mary on the Bridge, commonly ...

Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...

, England; late 13th century, restored in 1930 as a place of worship *

Holzbrücke Rapperswil-Hurden Holzbrücke Rapperswil-Hurden is a wooden pedestrian bridge between the city of Rapperswil and the village of Hurden crossing the Obersee (the upper part of Lake Zurich) in Switzerland. On 6 April 2001, the footbridge was opened. With a leng ...

, Switzerland,

Heilig Hüsli Heilig Hüsli (''Holy house'') is a bridge chapel in Rapperswil, Canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland. Geography The chapel is located next to the Seedamm, near the Rapperswil railway station. It is situated on a small island on upper Lake Zür ...

; 15th century but rebuilt in stone in 1551 *

Krämerbrücke The Krämerbrücke (; Merchants' bridge) is a medieval arch bridge in the city of Erfurt, in Thuringia, central Germany, which is lined with half timbered, half-timbered shops and houses on both sides of a cobblestone street. It is one of the few ...

Erfurt Erfurt () is the capital (political), capital and largest city of the Central Germany (cultural area), Central German state of Thuringia, with a population of around 216,000. It lies in the wide valley of the Gera (river), River Gera, in the so ...

, Germany, the Churches of St. Benedicti and St. Aegidien; the former was demolished in 1810 *

High Bridge, Lincoln High Bridge, also known as the Glory Hole, carries the High Street across the River Witham in the city of Lincoln in Lincolnshire, England. It is the oldest bridge in the United Kingdom on which buildings still stand. History The bridge was b ...

, England, Chapel of St Thomas Becket; built 1235 and demolished 1762 * "Old"

London Bridge The name "London Bridge" refers to several historic crossings that have spanned the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark in central London since Roman Britain, Roman times. The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 197 ...

, England, Chapel of St Thomas on the Bridge, completed 1209, rebuilt as a grocer's shop in 1553, upper story demolished in 1747, bridge demolished in 1832 * Rochester Bridge Chapel, England: built in 1393, later a storeroom, private house, pub and shop. Restored in 1937 as a place of worship. * Rotherham Bridge, England, the Chapel of Our Lady of Rotherham Bridge; built in 1483 and restored in 1927 * St Ives Bridge, England, the Chapel of St Leger; completed in 1426 and restored in 1930 * Chantry Bridge,

Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 109,766 in the 2021 census, up from 99,251 in the 2011 census. The city is the administrative centre of the wider Metropolit ...

, England, the Chantry Chapel of St Mary the Virgin; completed in 1356 and restored in 1842

References

{{reflist

External links

Bridge chapels in Britain
Chapels Bridges

Some notable examples

See also

References

External links