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Origin and history

The bridge of the Vernay, located at Airvault in Les Deux-Sèvres, is a medieval structure remarkable for its eleven arches in the middle of the wall. It crosses the Thouet upstream of the village and is distinguished by its Plantagenet style, a characteristic rare in France. Its construction was associated with the castle of Vernay, attested as early as 1144, whose lord was involved in the assassination of Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury. After the canonization of the latter, expiatory chapels were erected, including one at the Château de Vernay, connected to the city by this bridge.

According to tradition, the bridge was built by the seigneur of Vernay and the canons of Saint-Pierre d'Airvault Church, who had to go there three times a week to celebrate Mass. Its construction technique, using double arches, is exceptional in France, with only another example known in Thouars (Deux-Sèvres). This method, more common in England, suggests a plantogenest influence. The bridge, about 120 metres long, features triangular fore-beeks upstream and rectangular after-beeks downstream to protect its batteries.

Ranked a historic monument in 1868, the Vernay Bridge was restored around 1900. His history is documented by archaeological studies, notably those of Jean Mesqui, who proposes a dating before 1242 due to his stylistic characteristics. The bridge thus illustrates the architectural exchanges between France and England in the Middle Ages, while at the same time testifying to the local history linked to the castle of Vernay and the expiatory devotion after the assassination of Thomas Becket.

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