Pont de Nyons
Coordinates: 44 ° 21 ′ 36 " N , 5 ° 8 ′ 39" E
| Pont de Nyons | ||
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| use | Road bridge | |
| Crossing of | Eygues | |
| place | Nyons | |
| construction | Arch bridge made of stone | |
| width | 3.95 m | |
| Longest span | 40.53 m | |
| Arrow height | 13 m | |
| height | 19 m | |
| Load capacity | 3.5 t | |
| start of building | 1341 | |
| completion | 1405 | |
| opening | 1409 | |
| construction time | 1341-1405 | |
| planner | Bridge Brothers | |
| location | ||
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Monument historique (since 1925) |
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The Nyons Bridge is a medieval stone arch bridge over the river Eygues in Nyons in the region Auvergne Rhône-Alpes in the south of France . It was completed in 1409 and has an arch span of 40.53 meters, which was unusual for the time.
Construction (mid-14th to early 15th century)
The bridge was built at a time when the small settlement of Nyons began to expand significantly. In addition to the high-lying medieval town center built on rocky ground, two new quarters were created: the settlement around today's place des Arcades and the suburb further east. The construction site for the bridge was chosen at the very end of this new suburb, where the valley of the difficult-to-pass Eygues narrows. Allegedly, like other famous bridges in southern France, it is said to have been planned by the Bridge Brothers.
The financing was secured through a harvest tax (5%) and at the same time through donations and bequests . Bishops from Vaison-la-Romaine , Valence and Die collected the donations and granted indulgences to the supporters .
According to local historians from Nyons, construction began in 1341, but for half a century the work went next to no progress, leaving only the abutments on both sides of the river. In March 1398 a contract was signed with Guillaume de Pays and with quarry workers and carpenters from Romans-sur-Isère , who undertook to build the bridge “good and tidy” ( bien et convenablement ) with a single arch for a sum of 1200 gold florins to be erected between the two already existing “pillars”. For its part, the city of Nyons undertook to provide food and accommodation for the workers and to provide the materials required for construction. In 1400 she renewed her trust in the craftsmen from Romans.
The bridge was completed before 1405 and inaugurated in 1409 by the bishop of Vaison . Up until the 19th century there was a toll tower in the middle of the bridge.
Technical details
- the semicircular arch, slightly flattened in the middle, has a span of 40.53 m and a height of 19 m, the apex is about 1 m thick
- the thick walled arch consists of regularly arranged limestone blocks
- Overall outer width: 3.95 m (2 canes , in the measurement system customary at the time), width of the street: 3.25 m
- the foundation is reinforced by two triangular ledges
- On the left bank of the river above the foundation a passage led through the bridge, which made it possible to get to the top from the lower path ( chemin de Mirabel ). An old saying goes: A Nyons, pour passer sur le pont, il faut d'abord passer en dessous ("To get over the bridge in Nyons you have to go down first")
- the gradient at both ends of the bridge is so steep (more than 10%) that horse-drawn carts were prohibited for a long time
Changes in the 19th century
The bridge remained virtually unchanged for four centuries. Damage caused by flooding in the Eygues was a great danger, but it was always possible to repair it. Around 1850 the square tower was demolished in the middle. A few years later, the bridge was made accessible to vehicles, which, however, could only pass through it in one lane. Until the construction of the Pont de l'Europe further downstream in 1970, the Pont de Nyons was the only bridge with which one could cross the Eygues in the municipality of Nyons.
The Romanesque bridge today
Due to its age and its bold and aesthetic construction, the bridge, which is rarely used, is one of Nyon's most important historical buildings. Since October 8, 1925, it has been listed as a Monument Historique . In 2009 the people of Nyons celebrated the 600th anniversary of the bridge.
See also
literature
- Camille Bréchet: Pages d'histoire nyonsaises. Chantemerle, 1990, ISBN 2908233088
- Société d'études nyonsaises: Le pont roman de Nyons 1409-2009.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Pont de Nyons. In: Structurae
- ^ A b Jean Mercier: Haute-Provence drômoise et Haut Comtat , p. 113.
- ↑ Entry no. PA00117004 in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)