Pont Saint-Michel
Encyclopedia
Pont Saint-Michel is a bridge linking the Place Saint-Michel
on the left bank
of the river Seine to the Île de la Cité
. It was named after the nearby chapel of Saint-Michel. It is near Sainte Chapelle and the Palais de Justice
. The present 62-metre-long bridge dates to 1857.
, from the Grand-Pont on the right bank
and of Rue de la Harpe on the left bank
. This allowed for a direct route across Île de la Cité
.
The provost, Hugues Aubriot
, was charged with overseeing the project, which was funded by the king. Construction lasted from 1379 to 1387. Once complete, the Parisians named the bridge Pont-Neuf (New Bridge, but it should not be confused with the present-day Pont-Neuf), Petit-Pont-Neuf (Little New Bridge) or Pont Saint-Michel dit le Pont-Neuf (St. Michael's Bridge, known as the 'New' Bridge).
As was common in the Middle Ages, the bridge's sides were quickly filled with houses. During the 1407-1408 winter, one of the longest and most severe known in the Middle Ages, ice carried by the frozen Seine hit the bridge, causing it to collapse, together with its houses. Due to France's difficulties in the Hundred Years' War
, the bridge was immediately rebuilt in wood. This material proved less resistant than the previous stone bridge and the Parlement of Paris decided in 1444 to allocate all money raised from fines to building a new stone bridge on the site.
The appearance of this second bridge is known from one miniature painting
in the Heures
d'Étienne Chevalier, painted by Jean Fouquet
. This shows a bridge resting on high wooden piers, as well as wattle-and-daub
or wood-and- plaster houses with a single level roofline along the whole length of the bridge.
A replacement bridge was built at the same time the Pont Marie
was under construction. Owned by the king, it was more substantial than the Pont Marie and never ran into the kind of structural troubles both the Pont Marie and the Pont Neuf
encountered.
The work started in 1617 and was completed in 1623, using foundations similar to the ones used in the Rialto Bridge
and the Pont des Boucheries. These foundations used wooden piles topped by a wooden platform over which the specifications required lower stone courses of 5 feet (1.5 m) to 6 feet (1.8 m) long by 3 foot (0.9144 m) to 4 feet (1.2 m) thick.
Built with four spans in the form of circular arcs, the roadway sloped up to the center of the bridge with a grade of over 6%. The two larger spans were approximately 46 feet (14 m) long, while the two shorter spans, on either side, were approximately 33 feet (10.1 m) long. The widest of the old Paris bridges, it was designed to hold two rows of houses. An order was issued in 1786 to remove all houses from Paris bridges, but the ones on this bridge remained until 1808.
and Paul Vaudrey. It was the site of many of the killings of the Paris massacre of 1961
.
Place Saint-Michel
The Place Saint-Michel is a public square in the Latin Quarter, on the borderline between the fifth and sixth arrondissements of Paris, France...
on the left bank
Rive Gauche
La Rive Gauche is the southern bank of the river Seine in Paris. Here the river flows roughly westward, cutting the city in two: looking downstream, the southern bank is to the left, and the northern bank is to the right....
of the river Seine to the Île de la Cité
Île de la Cité
The Île de la Cité is one of two remaining natural islands in the Seine within the city of Paris . It is the centre of Paris and the location where the medieval city was refounded....
. It was named after the nearby chapel of Saint-Michel. It is near Sainte Chapelle and the Palais de Justice
Palais de Justice, Paris
The Palais de Justice , located in the Île de la Cité in central Paris, France, is built on the site of the former royal palace of Saint Louis, of which the Sainte Chapelle remains. Thus the justice of the state has been dispensed at this site since medieval times...
. The present 62-metre-long bridge dates to 1857.
History
First constructed in 1378, it has been rebuilt several times, most recently in 1857.The medieval bridge
The construction of a stone bridge was decided upon in 1378 by the Parlement de Paris after an accord with the chapter of the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris, the provost of Paris, and the city's merchants. A location downstream of Petit-Pont was chosen, on the line of Rue Saint-DenisRue Saint-Denis (Paris)
Rue Saint-Denis is one of the oldest streets in Paris. Its route was first laid out in the 1st century by the Romans, and then extended to the north in the Middle Ages. From the Middle Ages to the present day, the street has become notorious as a place of prostitution...
, from the Grand-Pont on the right bank
Rive Droite
La Rive Droite is most associated with the river Seine in central Paris. Here the river flows roughly westwards, cutting the city into two: looking downstream, the northern bank is to the right, and the southern bank is to the left....
and of Rue de la Harpe on the left bank
Rive Gauche
La Rive Gauche is the southern bank of the river Seine in Paris. Here the river flows roughly westward, cutting the city in two: looking downstream, the southern bank is to the left, and the northern bank is to the right....
. This allowed for a direct route across Île de la Cité
Île de la Cité
The Île de la Cité is one of two remaining natural islands in the Seine within the city of Paris . It is the centre of Paris and the location where the medieval city was refounded....
.
The provost, Hugues Aubriot
Hugues Aubriot
Hugues Aubriot was a French administrator and heretic. Aubriot was Provost of Paris under Charles V. He built the Bastille in 1370-1383. He was a capable administrator who built the first sewers in Paris, and strengthened the City's fortifications...
, was charged with overseeing the project, which was funded by the king. Construction lasted from 1379 to 1387. Once complete, the Parisians named the bridge Pont-Neuf (New Bridge, but it should not be confused with the present-day Pont-Neuf), Petit-Pont-Neuf (Little New Bridge) or Pont Saint-Michel dit le Pont-Neuf (St. Michael's Bridge, known as the 'New' Bridge).
As was common in the Middle Ages, the bridge's sides were quickly filled with houses. During the 1407-1408 winter, one of the longest and most severe known in the Middle Ages, ice carried by the frozen Seine hit the bridge, causing it to collapse, together with its houses. Due to France's difficulties in the Hundred Years' War
Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War was a series of separate wars waged from 1337 to 1453 by the House of Valois and the House of Plantagenet, also known as the House of Anjou, for the French throne, which had become vacant upon the extinction of the senior Capetian line of French kings...
, the bridge was immediately rebuilt in wood. This material proved less resistant than the previous stone bridge and the Parlement of Paris decided in 1444 to allocate all money raised from fines to building a new stone bridge on the site.
Miniature painting
Miniature painting may refer to:* Miniature * Persian miniature* Ottoman miniature* Portrait miniature* Painting miniature figures used in wargaming or role-playing games...
in the Heures
Book of Hours
The book of hours was a devotional book popular in the later Middle Ages. It is the most common type of surviving medieval illuminated manuscript. Like every manuscript, each manuscript book of hours is unique in one way or another, but most contain a similar collection of texts, prayers and...
d'Étienne Chevalier, painted by Jean Fouquet
Jean Fouquet
Jean Fouquet was a preeminent French painter of the 15th century, a master of both panel painting and manuscript illumination, and the apparent inventor of the portrait miniature. He was the first French artist to travel to Italy and experience at first hand the Italian Early...
. This shows a bridge resting on high wooden piers, as well as wattle-and-daub
Wattle and daub
Wattle and daub is a composite building material used for making walls, in which a woven lattice of wooden strips called wattle is daubed with a sticky material usually made of some combination of wet soil, clay, sand, animal dung and straw...
or wood-and- plaster houses with a single level roofline along the whole length of the bridge.
The Renaissance bridge
Pont Marie
The Pont Marie is a bridge which crosses the Seine in Paris, France.The bridge links the Île Saint-Louis to the quai de l'Hôtel de Ville and is one of three bridges designed to allow traffic flow between the Île Saint-Louis and the Left and Right banks of Paris...
was under construction. Owned by the king, it was more substantial than the Pont Marie and never ran into the kind of structural troubles both the Pont Marie and the Pont Neuf
Pont Neuf
The Pont Neuf is, despite its name, the oldest standing bridge across the river Seine in Paris, France. Its name, which was given to distinguish it from older bridges that were lined on both sides with houses, has remained....
encountered.
The work started in 1617 and was completed in 1623, using foundations similar to the ones used in the Rialto Bridge
Rialto Bridge
The Rialto Bridge is one of the four bridges spanning the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy. It is the oldest bridge across the canal, and was the dividing line for the districts of San Marco and San Polo.- History :...
and the Pont des Boucheries. These foundations used wooden piles topped by a wooden platform over which the specifications required lower stone courses of 5 feet (1.5 m) to 6 feet (1.8 m) long by 3 foot (0.9144 m) to 4 feet (1.2 m) thick.
Built with four spans in the form of circular arcs, the roadway sloped up to the center of the bridge with a grade of over 6%. The two larger spans were approximately 46 feet (14 m) long, while the two shorter spans, on either side, were approximately 33 feet (10.1 m) long. The widest of the old Paris bridges, it was designed to hold two rows of houses. An order was issued in 1786 to remove all houses from Paris bridges, but the ones on this bridge remained until 1808.
The modern bridge
The present 62-metre-long bridge dates to 1857, requiring only seven months for construction, from the date the older bridge was closed to traffic, and was designed on three 17.2m arches by Paul-Martin Gallocher de LagalisseriePaul-Martin Gallocher de Lagalisserie
Paul-Martin Gallocher de Lagalisserie was a French engineer. He was the son of Martin Pierre Gallocher de Lagalisserie and Marie Delphine Théodore Ménager.-Notable projects:...
and Paul Vaudrey. It was the site of many of the killings of the Paris massacre of 1961
Paris massacre of 1961
The Paris massacre of 1961 was a massacre in Paris on 17 October 1961, during the Algerian War . Under orders from the head of the Parisian police, Maurice Papon, the French police attacked a demonstration of some 30,000 pro-FLN Algerians...
.
External links
Mairie de Paris site Structurae- Satellite view on Google Map (1378–1387) (1416) (1549) (1618–1624) (current)