Carries Vehicles Official name Ponte de D. Maria Body of water Mira River | Crosses River Mira Location Odemira Construction end 1758 | |
Locale Portugal, Odemira, Santa Clara-a-Velha Other name(s) Ponte de Santa Clara-a-Velha Heritage status Property of Public Interest | ||
Ponte D. Maria (D. Maria Bridge) is an 18th century bridge, that crosses the River Mira in the civil parish of Santa Clara-a-Velha in the municipality of Odemira in the Portuguese district of Beja. It is an 18th century structure that was constructed using the models of Roman structures, allowing it to remain a functional span until the 19th century, when iron structures were introduce in the region.
Contents
History
A 1748 travellers guide mentioned the locality of Santa Clara as a point of passage on between Lisbon and Albufeira, later confirmed by 18th century maps. It is likely a construction that occurred in 1758, at a time when the clergy of Sabóia and S. Clara-a-Velha affirmed that no bridge existed on the Mira River.
By the end of the 19th century, maps of the period did not show any roads passing through Santa Clara, even as the village had three stations for changing horses or nighting. In 1822, the construction or expansion of the bridge occurred, under the directions of Francisco Lopes do Rosário, whose location was related to an ancient Roman via that connected Beja to the Algarve. Remnants of this former access were lost in the crossing at the River Mira.
By 1849, the municipal council of Odemira referred to the need to reconstruct the "old bridge" in Santa Clara and the advantage of constructing the new structure on margin by the village.
At the end of the 19th century, the master of public works wrote an inspection report referring to the old masonry bridge over the River Mira along the road between Alentejo and Algarve, a distance of 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) from the village of Santa Clara.In his report, the inspector found the bridge in a terrible state of conservation, with many great fractures along the central vaults, causing depression in the pavement, where water coalesced and accumulated, draining along the cracks...where vehicles pass, even those unloaded. The author lamented the important construction, and recommended urgent repair.
By the middle of the 20th century, there was a partial landslide. On 25 February 1992, by dispatch of the IPPC, the bridge was classified as Property of Public Interest, and by 31 October 1996, similarly by the IPPAR. On 25 August 2000, it was included in the Odemira PDM (resolution 114/2000, DR 196).
Architecture
The bridge is located in an isolated, rural position at the end of a valley, crossed by the River Mira, with its margins densely populated by forest and water lilies. It is an area of great natural landscape, situated near the Pousada de Santa Clara, Santa Clara dam and the community cemetery.
The structure consists of stone and limestone masonry, plastered and whitewashed, with arched frames and breakwaters coated stone. The ruined bridge, which still includes a two arches with archivolts and masonry.