PRESS FILE Table of contents 3-23 I - History & heritage 5 A bridge between the ages 7 The Roman monuments 15 Private mansions & the Remarkable Heritage Site 16 Protestantism 19 Nîmes today 24-32 II - An art of living 26 Nîmes, an art of living 28 Nîmes, the garden city 30 Nîmes, the awards 31 Fragrances & flavours 33-35 III - The sense of celebration 34 The Feria 36 Events that are not-to-be-missed 37-39 IV Curiosities & anecdotes 38 The fascinating story of Denim 38 The palm tree and the crocodile 40-47 V - New achievements 42 A new city 48-51 VI - Major projects 50 The Musée de la Romanité 51 The UNESCO application 52 Location & access 3 I History & heritage 4 A bridge between the ages Built on the Via Domitia, In the 16th century, during porary art with the treasures Nîmes, already occupied the Wars of Religion, the of the past in the Carré d’Art 4,500 years ago, seems Protestants, excluded from Jean Bousquet, built by to have really been born in public life, turned to com- the architect Norman Fos- the sixth century BC, from merce. The clothing they ter. This bold mix of styles a spring in the Jardins de produced was exported is also found in the work of la Fontaine. In the begin- throughout Europe and to Philippe Starck, Jean-Michel ning, this source of life en- the Spanish Indies. The city Wilmotte , Martial Raysse, couraged the Celts to settle became rich and was deco- Kisho Kurokawa , Jean Nou- there and to associate the rated. Many mansions testify vel, Takis ... city with Nemausus, the pa- today to the prosperity of this tron god of the spring. period. No other city of this size can Then the Romans took over In the Age of Enlightenment, boast such achievements Gaul and the god of the the dilapidated walls were from such prestigious archi- 5 spring whose flow, too irre- demolished and Louis XV’s tects and artists. This theme gular to fill their needs, led architect-engineer, Jacques continues with the construc- to the construction of a 50 Philippe Mareschal, de- tion of the Musée de la Ro- km aqueduct, including the signed the Jardins de la manité signed by Elisabeth imposing Pont du Gard, to Fontaine around the ancient de Portzamparc, which is supply the city with water. shrine. scheduled to open on June During the Gallo-Roman pe- 2, 2018. riod, Nîmes became a colo- In the 19th century, the ny under Latin law and was city became wealthy again decorated with sumptuous owing to the silk industry and monuments. the production of wine. The train station, offering a beau- The medieval city was or- tiful view of the monumental ganised around the Arènes Fontaine Pradier, was built in transformed into a fortress, 1842 and beautiful buildings seat of the feudal power, such as the Courthouse, the Cathedral, symbol of churches, the Jules Salles the power of the Church Gallery, cafes and banks and the Maison Carrée, a gave the city a modern flair. Roman temple that became the house of a noble. Trade Today, Nîmes is looking to developed around local pro- the future and its history is ducts such as grapes, olives part of the present. In 1993, and livestock. the city combined contem- 6 The Roman monuments The Amphithéâtre Built at the end of the 1st shade from the sun. The century A.D., the Amphithéâ- fore-body parts of bulls sur- tre of Nîmes is one of the mount the arcade, certainly largest and best preserved reserved for the magistrates in the Roman world. This and the Emperor, because elliptical building measuring they provided access to the 133 m. by 101 m. and 21 best seats. m. high on two levels, has almost always fulfilled a fes- On another decoration, fa- tive function. To understand cing the Courthouse, is a its architecture, we must sculpture of a wolf suckling return to the history of the two children, Romulus and events that took place there, Remus, the mythical foun- because it was designed for ders of Rome Inside, there 7 the combats of gladiators was space for 24,000 spec- (and animals) that had until tators to occupy 34 tiers of then been held in the Forum. stands. Five circular galle- Their success thus favoured ries, hundreds of stairs and the appearance of a dedi- “vomitoires” (corridors lea- cated place offering good ding to the stands) permitted visibility of the gladiator ring. access to the seats without the different social classes The Amphithéâtre of Nîmes meeting, the first tier being was built shortly after the reserved for notables. Colosseum of Rome, with stone from two quarries near Nîmes. It incorporates the characteristics of the Flavian period: a façade with two !? levels of arcades, an attic, pilasters and Tuscan-style DID YOU KNOW? half-columns. It is the only The basement of the Am- Amphitheatre which has phithéâtre was equipped preserved its attic. Pierced with trap doors and hoists stones were placed at the to move scenery, fighters top for poles on which were or animals in the ring. hung the velum, canvas ca- Today, two galleries with a nopies designed to provide cruciform layout still re- main under the ring. The Arènes owe their excep- At the beginning of the 18th is a magnificent setting for tional state of conservation century, 700 people still li- outdoor shows: historical to their use throughout the ved there. Cleared of these re-enactments, concerts, centuries. constructions in 1812, they performances, bullfights, In the Middle Ages, they found again their voca- Camargue bull races... played the role of a fortress, tion as buildings for public The restoration of the monu- the seat of feudal power em- events and the races held ment, which was unable to bodied by the Viscount of there contributed largely to escape the ravages of time, Nîmes and the Knights of the the art of bullfighting. The is currently underway. Arena. From the 14th centu- first Camargue bull race ry, they became a residential took place in 1839 and the area (houses, warehouses, first bullfight in 1853. Today, churches and château all the Amphithéâtre, the most crowded together). visited monument of the city, 8 The Maison Carrée This Roman temple of the im- It was one of those so-called since the 11th century: al- perial cult was built in the 1st “pseudoperipteral” imperial ternately a private mansion, century of our era, in honour temples, of which there were a consulate, a stable, a 9 of the adopted grandchildren many in the Roman world. convent ... But it is to Colbert of the Emperor Augustus, Located in the heart of the that we owe the ridiculous Caius and Lucius Caesar, ancient Forum, enhanced by proposal of dismantling it “Princes of Youth”, as evi- its Corinthian capitals and and rebuilding it in Paris! denced by an inscription on surrounded by a portico of After the French Revolution, the pediment, deciphered in which there are still some it became the headquarters 1758 by the Nîmes scholar traces left, this building, of the first Prefecture of Gard Jean-François Séguier. As measuring 26 meters long and the Departmental Ar- the faithful were not allowed by 15 meters wide and 17 chives before inaugurating to enter the temple, the ce- meters high, was originally the creation of museums in remonies were held outside. dedicated to the cult of the Nîmes in 1823. The Maison Carrée, sur- Emperor. rounded by porticoes and enhanced with a platform, The ceiling of the pronaos !? faced another building (pro- (vestibule) dates from the bably the curia). beginning of the 19th centu- The entire complex consti- ry; the present door was built DID YOU KNOW? tuted the Forum, the econo- in 1824 by two Compagnons This building is called the mic and administrative heart du Devoir. Maison Carrée because of the ancient city. The Maison Carrée owes the word rectangle did not its exceptional state of pre- exist yet at the time of its servation to continuous use construction. Rectangles were called “long squares” and thus it has kept this name. The square was re-designed in 1993 by Norman Foster, the architect of the Carré d’Art Jean Bousquet, in order to !? create a spatial unit between the two buildings. Between 2006 and 2010, it underwent DID YOU KNOW? major restoration work that In 1785, Thomas Jefferson (who would focused on the façades and become President of the United States in floors deteriorated by frost 1801), then the American Ambassador in and pollution. The aim has Paris, received a letter from the Directors been to respect the spirit of of the Virginia Public Buildings asking him to the construction through the provide them with plans for the construc- use of ancient materials and tion of the Virginia Capitol. Jefferson innovative techniques for a immediately chose the Maison Carrée as discreet and efficient restora- a model, entrusted the plans to a French tion. architect, Charles Louis Clérisseau, which The restoration required was then modified and sent to Richmond. 44,000 working hours, 96 For Jefferson, the Maison Carrée was the blocks of stone and a cost most beautiful architectural model left by of €3.5 million. Since March Antiquity. Oddly enough, Thomas Jefferson 2014, the film «Nemausus, knew the Maison Carrée only through a few the birth of Nîmes» is scree- drawings and only really contemplated it in ned continuously every day. 1787 during a trip to Nîmes and the South of 10 France. The Tour Magne 11 Visible for miles, it signalled the presence of !? the city and the imperial temple located at the foot of the hill, around the spring.