Bridge of Arco

Joining the banks of the River Ovelha, the Bridge of Arco [Arch] lives up to its name.

Comprising a single and slightly pointed arch, it assumes itself as an impressive piece of architecture. Its deck forms a trestle, drawing on the construction of Gothic bridges.

The master masons who designed and conceived it raised its foundations in two outcrops of the banks, thus articulating a sturdier and more secure structure.

Perhaps unwittingly, they eventually created an example of strength and balance.

This harmony is only disturbed when observing the intradorsum of the Bridge on the left bank, and you can notice the lag between the start up ashlars [stones] on the right bank, whose position was interrupted for the placement of a wooden rib (wooden structure that serves as the frame for the arch).

Part of a municipal and parish network of roads in the old county of Gouveia, the Bridge of Arco was a fitting representation of the model of local spans scattered throughout the Modern Age.

Type: Bridge

Classification: Public Interest Building – 1982

Route: Tâmega Valley

1758 - The abbot of Folhada mentions and describes the Bridge of Arco;

1982 - By Decree no. 28 from February 26th, the Bridge of Arco was considered as a Building of Public Interest;

1986 - Because it was a car passageway, the bridge suffers a few setbacks, related to its parapet and paving;

2010 - Integration of the Bridge of Arco in the Route of the Romanesque;

2015 - Intervention for the conservation and protection of the Bridge of Arco, under the scope of the Route of the Romanesque;

2018-2020 - Conservation, safeguarding and enhancement of the Bridge of Arco, within the scope of the Route of the Romanesque.

Free

Monument fully or partly accessible to visitors with reduced mobility.

visitasrr@valsousa.pt

+351 255 810 706

+351 918 116 488

Bridge of Arco

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Bridge of Arco

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