Pont Saint-Martial, Medieval stone bridge in Limoges, France

Pont Saint-Martial is a masonry arch bridge over the Vienne in Limoges, rebuilt in 1215 on the footings of a Gallo-Roman bridge. The sources give it seven arches; the photograph shows four visible semicircular arches of light grey weathered stone, the largest on the left, with a flat stone parapet and vegetation growing from the left abutment.

The Romans first built a bridge here to carry the road between Avaricum (Bourges) and southern Gaul across the Vienne. In 1182 Henry II Plantagenet, king of England and duke of Aquitaine, had it destroyed to punish Limoges for disloyalty. The present bridge was rebuilt in 1215 on the ancient foundations, and it was classified as a monument historique on 20 July 1908.

The name Saint-Martial refers to the quarter that grew on the right bank of the Vienne around the church of Sainte-Félicité, not to a documented act of the bishop. Some medieval and classical houses survive there, and one of them sheltered Molière for a night in 1669.

You can reach the bridge from Rue du Pont Saint-Martial, which connects the city center to the left bank of the river. Walking across from either side gives you good views of the structure and the surrounding banks.

The bridge is easy to overlook: it now stands isolated below the Pont de la Révolution and the quai Saint-Martial. On the right bank, near the former church of Sainte-Félicité, medieval and classical houses survive, and one of them sheltered Molière for a night in 1669.