The Medieval Bridge of Alvalade or, more properly, the Bridge over the Campilhas River (Portuguese: ''Ponte sobre a Ribeira de Campilhas''), is in the parish of

Alvalade Alvalade () is a (civil parish) and typical Quarter (urban subdivision), quarter of Lisbon, the capital city of Portugal. Located in central Lisbon, Alvalade is south of Lumiar and Olivais, Lisbon, Olivais, west of Marvila, Lisbon, Marvila, east ...

in the

Santiago do Cacém Santiago do Cacém () is a municipality in Setúbal District in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 29,749, in an area of 1059.69 km2. The present mayor is Álvaro Beijinha, elected by the Unitary Democratic Coalition. The municipal holiday ...

municipality in the

Setúbal District The District of Setúbal ( ) is a district located in the south-west of Portugal. It is named for its capital, the city of Setúbal. Geography It is delimited by Lisbon District and Santarém District on the north, Évora District on the eas ...

of Portugal. Its origins are believed to be Roman, although this has been disputed.

History

The bridge is believed to have been part of a road system that, since the Roman occupation of Portugal, connected the city of

Miróbriga ''Mirobriga'' or ''Mirobriga of the Celts'' (''Mirobrigensis qui celtici cognominantur - Plin. Nat. IV 118'') was an ancient town in the westernmost part of Lusitania during the Iron Age and Roman Times that was mentioned by Pliny the Elder and ...

, close to modern-day Santiago do Cacém, and

Pax Julia ''Pax Iulia'' (also known as ''Colonia Civitas Pacensis'') or later ''Pax Augusta'' was a city in the Roman province of Lusitania (today situated in the Portuguese municipality of Beja). History The region was inhabited during 400 BC by Celtic ...

in the modern-day municipality of Beja, passing through Metallum Vispascense, the present-day

Aljustrel Aljustrel (), officially Town of Aljustrel (), is a town and a municipality in the Portuguese district of Beja. The population in 2011 was 9,257, in an area of 458.47 km2. The present mayor is Nelson Domingos Brito, elected by the Socialis ...

. It is no longer used to cross the river. The bridge has always been known as the "Roman bridge" but different opinions have emerged in the last two decades regarding its origins. While some believe that it is a Roman bridge that underwent major works in the 16th century, others believe that it only goes back to the 17th century. The bridge was restored in 2001. This work revealed an important landmark owned by the

Order of Santiago The Order of Santiago (; ) is a religious and military order founded in the 12th century. It owes its name to the patron saint of Spain, ''Santiago'' ( St. James the Greater). Its initial objective was to protect the pilgrims on the Way of S ...

, which was located next to the bridge, together with a stone block attached to the upper part of the side wall, which would have been used by the bridge's users to sharpen instruments. The work carried out included cleaning, deforestation, and regularization of the basin corresponding to the level of the old river bed, as well as the placement of stonework on each end of the bridge. Unfortunately, during the restoration the opportunity was not taken to carry out a detailed archaeological study.

References

Roman bridges in Portugal Bridges in Setúbal District Tourist attractions in Setúbal District {{Portugal-bridge-struct-stub