The old bridge in Silves, known by many as ‘the Roman bridge,’ classified as a monument of public interest in February this year, has been closed by the council as the structure is in acute danger of collapse.
The 76-metre bridge was built in the 14th century on the site of an earlier structure. In the early seventeenth century the bridge lost two arches and had its forst major restoration.
In 1716 records show the bridge was worked on by a stonemason named Inácio Mendes. In the twentieth century, in an act of civic vandalism, the final span on the north side was removed to make way for a roadside walkway.
The bridge will remain closed to pedestrians until such time as the regional cultural board can help the council identify funders for the repair work, get the structure repaired and pass it as 'safe for pedestrian use.'
The bridge is the council’s responsibility but now, rather conveniently, is a monument of public interest which may enable access to a wider range of funding sources.
The council closed the bridge after analysing studies indicating that the bridge would not last much longer even though vehicles cannot use the crossing - they use the adjacent road bridge built in the ‘50s.
Studies suggest that a Roman road might have crossed the river at this point, hence the colloquial name, but medieval descriptions of Silves carried out by both Arabs and Christians never mention a bridge being in place.
There are scraps of documentation relating to the bridge, one being a royal order to rebuild the structure in 1439, hence there was a bridge in place but when it was built, nobody knows.
The bridge is of archaeological interest and culturally is an integral part of Silves' identity.
