Pont de la Mar, Renaissance stone bridge in Valencia, Spain

Puente del Mar is a Renaissance stone bridge in Valencia that spans across the former Turia riverbed. The structure is supported by ten lowered ogival arches and connects Plaza America to Paseo de la Alameda.

A wooden bridge existed here by the 14th century; flood damage led to stone foundations and pillars in 1425, but the 1589 flood destroyed it entirely. The Consell commissioned a fully stone bridge from Francesc Figuerola, completed in 1596 with ten pointed vaulted arches. A later flood toppled the central arches and the Virgin's shrine; architect Ignasi Miner rebuilt them, and the tram to El Grau crossed from 1876 until the 1926 Aragón bridge removed traffic.

The two triangular templetes on the bridge hold sculptures of Saint Paschal Bailon, carved by Josep Pasqual Ortells López, and the Virgin of the Forsaken, by Vicent Navarro Romero. Both were replaced in the 1940s after the originals were destroyed in 1936. Each figure stands on a base with an inscription, under a roof supported by three thin columns of black stone from Les Alcubles.

The bridge today serves as a pedestrian crossing between two important urban areas and is easily accessible on foot. Visitors should know that daytime exploration allows for better appreciation of the architectural and sculptural details.

The bridge crosses the Turia diagonally, so it is longer than strictly needed, and its nine thick piers are aligned with the river rather than with the deck. Each pier ends in a large V shape that stops below the walkway, a medieval motif kept here as decoration. Climbers use the perforated stone of the piers, especially at weekends.