Pont des Templiers, Medieval bridge in Longjumeau, France.
The Pont des Templiers is a medieval bridge in Longjumeau with three stone arches that span an ancient path. The structure still displays the Templar cross carved into its masonry.
The Commandery of Balizy was founded in 1288, when Jehan de la Tour bought land from Guillaume Bataille for 1,400 livres parisis; Philip IV the Fair confirmed the purchase by charter in October 1289. After the suppression of the Templars, the house passed to the Hospitallers of Saint John of Jerusalem. The French Revolution split the estate into nineteen parcels sold to different owners.
The bridge takes its name from the Templars, who held the Balizy commandery from 1288 until the order's goods passed to the Hospitallers of Saint John. In 1974 amateur restorers found a cross pattée cut into the stone; its date is uncertain, since it may have been carved by either order.
The bridge lies in the undergrowth of Balizy, between Longjumeau and Épinay-sur-Orge, reached by an uneven, centuries-worn paved road. The Rouillon flows beneath its arches. The structure was listed as a monument historique on 11 October 1930 and has been restored since 1967 by the Association Renaissance et Culture de Longjumeau.
In 1974, amateur restorers from the Association Renaissance et Culture de Longjumeau found a cross pattée carved into the bridge's stone; its date is uncertain, since it could have been cut by the Templars or by the Hospitallers who took over the commandery. The bridge was listed as a monument historique on 11 October 1930, after the archaeologist Chaudin came across it in 1930.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,373 contributors worldwide.