[1][2] Between 1118 and 1128, the Archbishop Paio Mendes donated goods to the Templar Hospital in Braga, with the condition that two-thirds of their products should be used in the construction of the Ponte de Prado bridge.

Between the religious center of Braga and one of the oldest towns in the country (Ponte de Lima), the Prado continued to link the north and southern territories.

[1] In 1260, King Afonso III of Portugal conceded a foral (charter) to the town of Prado, initiating a period of growth and importance, with its elevation to the status of municipality.

[1][2] In the proceeding centuries, the area around the bridge developed into a regional center that eventually drew the eye of the Crown, especially in an intense post-1580 Portuguese succession crisis reorganization.

[2] The bridge's exit (to the north) fronts the Praça do Conselheiro Sousa Lima, a gardened area, the site of a 16th-century pillory marking Prado's historical importance as a municipality until the 19th century.

On the northern face of the backrest is a royal coat of arms, with the inscription:[2] Stating that the project was completed by António de Crasto from the town of Viana (in 1676).

[1] The pavement is constituted from rectangular blocks, delimited by a paved walkway resting on corbels which allow the passage of pedestrians and by wrought iron guards paced by stone pillars.