A bridge chapel is a small place of

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

worship, built either on, or immediately adjacent to, a road bridge; they were commonly established during pre- Reformation medieval era in Europe. Although sometimes built on land at the very start of the bridge, bridge chapels were often built into the bridge structure itself, usually on one of the piers which had been made especially large for the purpose. These chapels were intended to minister to the spiritual needs of travellers passing over the bridge. Many were established as chantries, where a priest was employed to say masses for passers by and for the repose of the souls of the bridge's benefactors. In some instances, the priest would be responsible for collecting tolls from bridge users.Cook, Martin (1998
''Medieval Bridges''
, Shire Publications Ltd, (pp. 38-42) The cost of maintaining a priest or

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...

could be very high, so some less well endowed bridges had a resident hermit, whose duties, including collecting tolls and working on repairs, were regarded as acts of religious devotion. In

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, the end of these institutions came with the Reformation, when the Abolition of Chantries Acts, 1545 and 1547 led either to their demolition or to their conversion to secular use.

Some notable examples

Chantry Chapel of Our Lady and Rotherham Bridge (geograph 2250176)

Pont Saint-Bénézet The Pont Saint-Bénézet (; Provençal: ''Pònt de Sant Beneset''), also known as the Pont d'Avignon (), was a medieval bridge across the Rhône in the town of Avignon, in southern France. Only four arches survive. A wooden bridge spanning ...

Avignon Avignon (, ; ; oc, Avinhon, label=Provençal dialect, Provençal or , ; la, Avenio) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Vaucluse Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region of So ...

, France, Chapel of Saint Nicholas; 12th century, restored from 1878 * The Town Bridge, Bradford-on-Avon, England, a medieval chapel later rebuilt as a lock up * Old Exe Bridge,

Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...

, England, St Edmund on the Bridge; built c. 1200, rebuilt 1833 and demolished 1973 except the medieval tower. *

St Mary's Bridge Chapel St Mary's Bridge Chapel is a Church of England chapel in Derby, England. It is a bridge chapel, one of only a small number of medieval age that survive in England. It is a Grade I listed building. The Chapel of St Mary on the Bridge, commonly ...

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gain ...

, England; late 13th century, restored in 1930 as a place of worship * Holzbrücke Rapperswil-Hurden, Switzerland,

Heilig Hüsli Heilig Hüsli (''Holy house'') is a bridge chapel in Rapperswil, Canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland. Geography The chapel is located next to the Seedamm, near the Rapperswil railway station. It is situated on a small island on upper Lake Züric ...

; 15th century but rebuilt in stone in 1551 * Krämerbrücke,

Erfurt Erfurt () is the capital and largest city in the Central German state of Thuringia. It is located in the wide valley of the Gera river (progression: ), in the southern part of the Thuringian Basin, north of the Thuringian Forest. It sits in ...

, Germany, the Churches of St. Benedicti and St. Aegidien; the former was demolished in 1810 *

High Bridge, Lincoln High Bridge carries the High Street across the River Witham in Lincoln in eastern England. It is the oldest bridge in the United Kingdom which still has buildings on it. The bridge was built about 1160 AD and a bridge chapel was built dedic ...

, England, Chapel of St Thomas Becket; built 1235 and demolished 1762 * "Old"

London Bridge Several bridges named London Bridge have spanned the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark, in central London. The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 1973, is a box girder bridge built from concrete and steel. It r ...

, England,

Chapel of St Thomas on the Bridge The Chapel of St Thomas on the Bridge was a bridge chapel built near the centre of "Old" London Bridge in the City of London and was completed by 1209. In 1548, during the Reformation, it was dissolved as a place of worship and soon afterwards ...

, completed 1209, rebuilt as a grocer's shop in 1553, upper story demolished in 1747, bridge demolished in 1832 * Rochester Bridge Chapel, England: built in 1393, later a storeroom, private house, pub and shop. Restored in 1937 as a place of worship. *

Rotherham Bridge Rotherham Bridge crosses the River Don in central Rotherham, South Yorkshire. It is known for its bridge chapel, considered the best preserved in England.David Hey, ''Medieval South Yorkshire'' A document of 1385 refers to Bridgegate in the ...

, England, the Chapel of Our Lady of Rotherham Bridge; built in 1483 and restored in 1927 *

St Ives Bridge St Ives Bridge is a 15th-century bridge crossing the River Great Ouse in St Ives, Cambridgeshire, England. It is noted for being one of only four bridges in England to incorporate a chapel (the others being at Rotherham, Wakefield, and Bradfor ...

, England, the Chapel of St Leger; completed in 1426 and restored in 1930 * Chantry Bridge, Wakefield, England, the Chantry Chapel of St Mary the Virgin; completed in 1356 and restored in 1842

References

{{reflist Chapels Bridges

Some notable examples

See also

References