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Ponte Vella ( Galician, "old bridge", Ponte Romana (Roman bridge), Ponte Maior (great bridge)) is a medieval
footbridge A footbridge (also a pedestrian bridge, pedestrian overpass, or pedestrian overcrossing) is a bridge designed solely for pedestrians.''Oxford English Dictionary'' While the primary meaning for a bridge is a structure which links "two points at a ...
built on
Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...
foundations in
Ourense Ourense (; ) is a city and the capital of the province of province of Ourense, Ourense, located in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, northwestern Spain. It is on the Camino Sanabrés path o ...
, Spain. Located at the intersection of N120 and Rua Progreso, it spans the
Minho River The Minho ( ; ) or Miño ( ; ; ; ) is the longest river in the autonomous community of Galicia in Spain, with a length of . It forms a part of the international border between Spain and Portugal. By discharge volume, it is the fourth largest r ...
. Its steep rise of above the
Minho River The Minho ( ; ) or Miño ( ; ; ; ) is the longest river in the autonomous community of Galicia in Spain, with a length of . It forms a part of the international border between Spain and Portugal. By discharge volume, it is the fourth largest r ...
makes for safe passage during
flash floods A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas: washes, rivers, dry lakes and depressions. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a severe thunderstorm, hurricane, or tropical storm, or by meltwater from ice and snow. Flash fl ...
. At one time, it was considered to be the biggest bridge in all of Spain.


Geography

The bridge is situated in front of a
chapel A chapel (from , a diminutive of ''cappa'', meaning "little cape") is a Christianity, Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their o ...
, connecting Ourense and
Santiago de Compostela Santiago de Compostela, simply Santiago, or Compostela, in the province of Province of A Coruña, A Coruña, is the capital of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city ...
. The Ponte Maior was the only access across the
Minho River The Minho ( ; ) or Miño ( ; ; ; ) is the longest river in the autonomous community of Galicia in Spain, with a length of . It forms a part of the international border between Spain and Portugal. By discharge volume, it is the fourth largest r ...
until another bridge was constructed in 1816, while Ponte Milenio, a modern bridge, was built later in the millennium.


History

The original bridge across the Minho River was built during the first century rule of
Emperor Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in ...
though other sources state that it was built during the
Trajan Trajan ( ; born Marcus Ulpius Traianus, 18 September 53) was a Roman emperor from AD 98 to 117, remembered as the second of the Five Good Emperors of the Nerva–Antonine dynasty. He was a philanthropic ruler and a successful soldier ...
period. A mention is made of this bridge in the will of Doña Urraca, where it is said that it was repaired with funds provided by Ferdinand III. From the
Middle Ages 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 global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
, it has provided access to the city of Ourense for trade and pilgrimage. The structure was rebuilt in 1230 by Bishop Lorenzo on Roman foundations (original piers), and repaired in 1449 by Bishop Pedro de Silva. It then measured long, with an arch span of . However, the main arch collapsed in 1499 and the bridge was rebuilt in 1679 to a length of with seven arched spans, the main span measuring . The height of the bridge above the water level is . File:Puente romano.jpg File:Bridge, Ourense (Spain), Minho River.jpg File:Ourense 12 30-07-2008.jpg


See also

*
List of Roman bridges This is a list of Roman bridges. The Roman Empire, Romans were the world's first major bridge builders. The following constitutes an attempt to list all known surviving remains of Roman bridges. A Roman bridge in the sense of this article in ...
*
Roman architecture Ancient Roman architecture adopted the external language of classical ancient Greek architecture for the purposes of the ancient Romans, but was different from Greek buildings, becoming a new architectural style. The two styles are often con ...
*
Roman engineering The ancient Romans were famous for their advanced engineering accomplishments. Technology for bringing running water into cities was developed in the east, but transformed by the Romans into a technology inconceivable in Greece. The architecture ...


References

{{Reflist Buildings and structures completed in 1230 Bridges in Galicia (Spain) Pedestrian bridges in Spain Ourense Bridges completed in the 13th century Minho (river)