Thread by @TheClassicalCo

#RomanSiteSaturday - Maison Carrée 🏛️

(1/7) Situated in the French city of #Nîmes, the Maison Carrée ("Square House") is an amazing example of #Roman imperial architecture and among the best preserved temples from antiquity.

#Classics #Archaeology #France #History

(2/7) Constructed during the late 1st century BCE, the temple was completed c. 2 CE. Its original function is unknown, however between 4 - 7 CE it was dedicated to Gaius Caesar and Lucius Caesar, the grandsons of the Roman Emperor Augustus who had both died young.

(3/7) Architecturally, it serves as a textbook example of Roman temple building described by the architect Vitruvius. Built in the Tuscan style, it features a single cult room (cella) and a deep porch. Raised c. 3m above ground on a podium, it dominated the ancient city's forum.

(4/7) Indeed, flanked by Corinthian columns, the temple makes for a stunning site. Above the columns and the architrave, the external roof is decorated with three tiers of "egg-and-dart" decoration, as well as an ornamental relief of rosettes and acanthus leaves.

(5/7) The preservation of the temple is a mystery to modern scholars. After Nîmes, then Colonia Nemausus, fell to the Visigoths in 472 CE, the temple disappeared from known records. By the Enlightenment however, it re-emerged as an inspirational beacon of classical beauty.

(6/7) During the medieval period, the bronze inscription to the heirs of Augustus was removed. Jean-François Séguier reconstructed it in 1758, however, and by the mid-19th century the temple had undergone a series of restorations to return it to its former glory.

(7/7) Further restoration work between 1988 - 1992 saw the roof replaced and the building cleaned, leaving it in stunning condition. An incredible site, it has inspired countless neoclassical buildings including the Virginia State Capitol and the Église de la Madeleine in Paris.

#Classics #ClassicsTwitter #Roman #RomanHistory #History #Architecture #Ancient #Archaeology #RomanArchaeology #France #Nimes #Paris #USA #Virginia #RomanEmpire

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