France

Maison Carrée of Nîmes

WHS Score 2.75
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  • WILLIAM RICH

The Maison Carrée in Nîmes is a well-preserved Ancient Roman temple that signifies the impact of the imperial cult in the Roman provinces.

It stood among other religious and political institutions at the heart of the forum of the Roman colony of Nemausus, at a time when Rome focused on consolidating its empire. This first-century building in the classic Vitruvian architectural style has survived in excellent condition.

Community Perspective:  the reviews still reflect that this once was part of a wider nomination of the city of Nîmes; all agreed though that the Maison Carrée is its outstanding monument. The stylistic contrast with the surrounding, later (= very modern) architecture raised eyebrows.

Site Info

Official Information
Full Name
The Maison Carrée of Nîmes (ID: 1569)
Country
France
Status
Inscribed 2023 Site history
History of Maison Carrée of Nîmes
2018: Deferred
To do a comparative analysis on the Roman buildings
2023: Inscribed
Inscribed
WHS Type
Cultural
Criteria
  • iv
Links
UNESCO
whc.unesco.org
All Links
UNESCO.org
Related Resources

Community Information

  • Community Category
  • Archaeological site: Ancient Rome
Travel Information
Provence hotspot
Provence hotspot
Nimes lies half an hour by train from Avignon.
Recent Connections
View all (14) .
Connections of Maison Carrée of Nîmes
Individual People
  • Louis XIV
    In 1670 Louis XIV had the Maison Carrée purchased to install the church of the convent of the Augustinians. (Nomination file, p. 60)
Trivia
History
  • Ancient Roman colonies
    Nîmes became a Roman colony as Colonia Nemausus sometime before 28 BCE (wiki)
  • Roman monuments converted into churches
    "From the 17th century, the Maison Carrée served as a church for the Augustinian convent until the French Revolution, when it became a national property." (Ab Ev)
Architecture
  • Palladio and Palladian style
    1570: Publication in Italy of the Four Books of Architecture by Andrea Palladio in which the Italian architect presents the two temples of Nîmes as a model of ancient architecture alongside a very large number of Roman monuments. (Nomination file, p. 60)
World Heritage Process
Religion and Belief
  • The Magi
    The Maison Carrée housed the church of the nearby Augustinian convent dedicated to the three wise men. (Nomination file, p. 49)
  • Augustinian Order
    "From the 17th century, the Maison Carrée served as a church for the Augustinian convent until the French Revolution, when it became a national property." (Ab Ev)
Constructions
  • Horse Stables
    During its existence, the Maison Carrée has served as a horse stable. (wiki fr)
Timeline
WHS Hotspots
Science and Technology
  • Early Archaeology
    "The third phase of restorations, completed in 1817-1821, included archaeological surveys around the building, which helped locate the porticoes that flanked the ancient forum." (Ab Ev) - The oldest archaeological intervention carried out around the temple dates back to the years 1820-1821, when it was decided to restore the Maison Carrée to its actual height, three quarters of its base being buried at the time. (Informations complémentaires – Novembre 2022, p. 3)
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Community Reviews

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First published: 16/07/19.

Matejicek

Maison Carrée Of Nîmes

Maison Carrée of Nîmes (Inscribed)

Maison Carrée of Nîmes by Matejicek

Updates 2021: The state party of France wisely decided to shrink the nomination of Nimes to a single building: Maison Carrée. The new proposal will be under consideration in 2023. I really liked the former temple, Mason Carée, during my visit in 2019, and it is a pity that the surrounding forum almost did not survived: there are only minor fragments of columns shown on the square around the temple. However, it is still favorable situation than in nearby WHS Arles, where only underground porticoes (Cryptoportiques) and a small torso of the temple survived.

On the opposite side of the square, where Maison Carée is located, hyper-modern Carré d'Art has been built from concrete, steel and glass by Norman Foster in 90s.

I cannot decide if this improved nomination will defend its OUV in comparison to other Roman monuments in Mediterranean, however, my thumb UP for Maison Carée!

-----------------------------------

I spent last week of June 2019 in (former) Languedoc-Roussillion region, mostly in Montpellier, for last three days in Nimes, and did short trips to other interesting towns nearby – Arles and Avignon.

Nimes certainly was an elegant city with great monuments such as Amphitheater and Masion Caree, but its beauty somehow shaded in comparison to its neighbors: Nimes was less lively than student town of Montpellier, in which I found also better examples of profane buildings from middle ages and later periods than in Nimes. Roman monuments of Nimes seemed somehow isolated in the rather …

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First published: 26/11/18.

Els Slots

Maison Carrée Of Nîmes

Maison Carrée of Nîmes (Inscribed)

Maison Carrée of Nîmes by Els Slots

My visit to the TWHS of Nîmes seemed like such a simple plan: fly to Marseille and then drive there in an hour. In Nîmes I then would have an afternoon to see the Roman monuments. But reaching the city this particular last Saturday was hindered by people in 'yellow vests', protesting against the high fuel prices and other issues. All access roads but one had been blocked, so with a huge U-turn (which cost me over an hour extra) I had to enter the city from the north. Even there it was a slow affair. Fortunately all protests that I came across in the south of France went peacefully; I got a free passage twice on the toll roads and a banana in return for the discomfort.

In Nîmes itself, the Musée de la Romanité was my first destination. This is a grand Roman museum that has opened this summer to reinforce the WH candidacy. For 17 EUR I got a combi-ticket that also gave access to the 3 most important Roman monuments of the city: the amphitheatre, the Magne tower and the Maison Carrée.

The museum interior is modern and light. Nice to walk through, but the collection itself I found not that special. Nîmes seems to feel the need to measure itself with the neighbouring cities of Orange and Arles, which are already WHS because of their Roman history. However, ‘Nemausus’ was only one of the many colonies founded by the Romans in foreign lands, …

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First published: 29/03/14.

Clyde

Maison Carrée Of Nîmes

Maison Carrée of Nîmes (Inscribed)

Maison Carrée of Nîmes by Clyde

I visited Nimes in April 2012. I went shortly after Arles and I must say that I very much preferred Nimes overall! There was a reenactment when I was there and the Roman arena was packed and really impressive. The view from the Tour Magne was quite worth it too. I decided to stay overnight and I wasn't disappointed. Should I be in the vicinity, I would gladly revisit Nimes over Arles anytime.

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First published: 26/03/14.

Hubert

Maison Carrée Of Nîmes

Maison Carrée of Nîmes (Inscribed)

Maison Carrée of Nîmes by Hubert

Nîmes is a very recent entry to the French T-list, thus one can assume that there are plans for a nomination within the next years. Nîmes is also part of the T-list site “Les villes antiques de la Narbonnaise et leur territoire”, but there is probably little confidence in a proposal that only includes the Roman heritage. So the approach has been extended to the entire historic city centre with a medieval cathedral and buildings and mansions from the 16th to 19th century. In the description on the WHC website Nîmes is referred to as an example of the influence of Roman architecture on urban planning and architecture of later epochs until today. Stylistic and decorative elements from the ancient times were also used in buildings of the later centuries.

Undoubtedly, the Roman remains are the most important monuments in Nîmes. First the amphitheater: it is very similar to the Arena in Arles, but more complete and better preserved. Second the Maison Carrée: I was even more impressed by this well preserved Roman temple. The Corinthian columns correspond nicely with the modern Carré d'Arts by Norman Foster on the opposite side of the square (photo). The temple is completely preserved, due to the almost uninterrupted use as a church, later as meeting place for the senators, a barn during the French Revolution, an archive and finally a museum. Other Roman remains are the Temple of Diane and the Tour Magne (both in the Jardins de la Fontaine), the remains of …

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