Five arches, more than a while
Vive Cabeceiras · History of Ponte de Cavez

An old bridge didn't stop in history.

Three broken central arches and two perfect back, next to the banks: the Ponte de Cavez brings together different shapes and times. The Museum located the medieval construction in the second half of the 13th century, at the service of the road between Braga and Vila Pouca de Aguiar. The source attributes the round arches to the works of Philip II's reign and mentions a landmark of 1599. In the 19th century, the road between Fafe and Vila Pouca de Aguiar brought the enlargement of the board. Watching the bridge is looking for changes to an ancient crossing. According to the Museum, the stone bridge replaced a previous wooden bridge, then degraded. The construction is attributed to Frei Lourenço Mendes, a Dominican who gathered alms for the work; the museological text mentions testimonial legacies as support of this connection. The crossing thus involves materials, paths and ways of financing a collective work.

Sources and context
Land Museum of Basto — Ponte de Cavez, 27/02/2022
https://museuterrasbasto.wordpress.com/2022/02/27/ponte-de-cavez/
Accessed: 2026-11-07
Municipality of Cabeceiras de Basto — Parish memories of 1758: Cavez
https://cabeceirasdebasto.pt/cultura-memorias-paroquiais-cavez
Accessed: 2026-11-07
Municipality — conclusion of rehabilitation of Ponte de Cavez, 30/04/2019
https://cabeceirasdebasto.pt/index.php?oid=20702&op=all
Accessed: 2026-11-07

Editorial summary. The date of consultation is not the date of the facts.
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https://vivecabeceiras.pt/en/descobrir/terra-viva/?leitura=cavez-arcos-tempos#cavez-arcos-tempos