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Legend Bridge in Sauveterre-de-Béarn dans les Pyrénées-Atlantiques

Patrimoine classé
Patrimoine urbain
Pont
Pyrénées-Atlantiques

Legend Bridge in Sauveterre-de-Béarn

    Pleguignou
    64390 Sauveterre-de-Béarn
Pont de la Légende à Sauveterre-de-Béarn
Pont de la Légende à Sauveterre-de-Béarn
Pont de la Légende à Sauveterre-de-Béarn
Pont de la Légende à Sauveterre-de-Béarn
Pont de la Légende à Sauveterre-de-Béarn
Pont de la Légende à Sauveterre-de-Béarn
Pont de la Légende à Sauveterre-de-Béarn
Pont de la Légende à Sauveterre-de-Béarn
Pont de la Légende à Sauveterre-de-Béarn
Pont de la Légende à Sauveterre-de-Béarn
Pont de la Légende à Sauveterre-de-Béarn
Pont de la Légende à Sauveterre-de-Béarn
Pont de la Légende à Sauveterre-de-Béarn
Pont de la Légende à Sauveterre-de-Béarn
Pont de la Légende à Sauveterre-de-Béarn
Pont de la Légende à Sauveterre-de-Béarn
Pont de la Légende à Sauveterre-de-Béarn
Pont de la Légende à Sauveterre-de-Béarn
Pont de la Légende à Sauveterre-de-Béarn
Pont de la Légende à Sauveterre-de-Béarn
Pont de la Légende à Sauveterre-de-Béarn
Crédit photo : Sebb - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Moyen Âge central
Bas Moyen Âge
Renaissance
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1200
1300
1400
1500
1600
1700
1800
1900
2000
1170
Queen Sancie Ordalia
XIIe siècle
Initial construction
XIIIe-XIVe siècles
Reinforcements by Gaston VII and Fébus
1732
Crude devastating
12 juillet 1886
Historical monument classification
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

Bridge (vestiges of an old one): classification by decree of 12 July 1886

Key figures

Reine Sancie - Viscountess of Bearn Innocentated by the Order in 1170
Gaston VII de Béarn - Viscount in the 13th century Strengthens the fortified bridge
Gaston Fébus - Count of Foix and Viscount Expands the bridge to the 14th
Sanche VI de Navarre - King, brother of Sancie Order the water test

Origin and history

The Legend Bridge, located in Sauveterre-de-Béarn in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, is a 12th century fortified bridge. Originally built with a wooden apron on piles of stone, it was strengthened in the 13th and 14th centuries by Gaston VII of Béarn and Gaston Fébus. Featuring a tower, a staircase with screws, a ramp and a drawbridge, it allowed you to cross the river Oloron to the island of the Glère. Ranked a historic monument in 1886, it was one of three bridges connecting the city, promoting its economic prosperity.

According to legend, in 1170 Queen Sancie, accused of infanticide, was subjected to an ordalia (judgment of God): she was thrown into the gave, saved by the waters, proving her innocence. This episode, observed by 3,000 people, earned him his current name. Nearby was the Saint-Jacques Hospital, welcoming the pilgrims of Compostela, stressing its role in medieval exchanges.

The bridge, formerly known as the Mayor Bridge and the Hospital Bridge, was the only one surviving the devastating flood of 1732. Its history combines military architecture, local legends and jacquarian heritage. In 2022, the legend inspired the television film Murders in Béarn, illustrating its persistence in regional culture.

Owned by the commune, the bridge is now a classified vestige, witness to the border dynamics between Béarn and Navarre. Its spiral staircase, its chamber of manoeuvre and its vestiges recall its strategic use, between flow control and religious symbolism.

External links