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Maison Carree
Masion Carree, Nimes. Image published under the GNU Free Documentation License, verison 1.2 or later The Maison Carree is a Roman temple located in a square of the same name at Nimes. It was completed in 12 BC by Marcus Agrippa, the son-in-law of the Roman Emperor Augustus. The Maison Carree is the only ancient temple which has been preserved in its entirety. The temple was dedicated to the Emperor's grandchildren Lucius and Gaius, the sons of his daughter Julia. Augustus adopted the two boys in an attempt to ensure the succession. The Maison Carree and similar monuments in other parts of the empire cemented their status as his heirs. The Maison Carree, whose dimensions share the same proportions as the larger Temple of Apollo in Rome, is twenty metres long, fifteen metres high, and seventeen metres wide. Although the shape of the temple is rectangular, it was dubbed the "Maison Carree" (square house) in the 16th century since any geometrical form with four right angles was then considered a square.
Front view of the Maison Carree. Image published under the GNU Free Documentation License, verison 1.2 or later The temple, raised three metres on a podium, dominated the forum, the city's administrative and commercial centre which formerly occupied the site of the modern square. The temple is enclosed by a series of Corinthian columns which support a cornice with a splendid decorative frieze of rosettes and acanthus leaves beneath a series of fine dentils. Twenty of these columns are embedded into the wall of the temple. A further six project outwards on the northern side in order to support the frontispiece which once bore a bronze inscription. Although the inscription is missing, the positions of the drill holes which once fixed the individual letters to the stonework are still visible. The inscription can therefore be deciphered. It reads: "To Caius Caesar consul and Lucius Caesar consul designate, the sons of Augustus, the princes of youth".
Details of the columns and cornice of the Maison Carree. Image published under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5 license In view of the violent history of Nimes, it is remarkable that the temple has survived. After Nimes was evangelised and the Masion Carree ceased to be a temple, it was first used as a court, and then in the Middle Ages as the headquarters of the consuls, the local governors of the city. The Masion Carree has also been used as a private residence, a stables, a church (l'eglise des Augustins) and a tomb for the husband of the Duchess of Uzes. The Maison Carree was confiscated by the Directoire, the post-revolutionary government of 1795-1799, and subsequently became the prefecture of the department of Gard. It was renovated after the restoration of the monarchy. A plaque attached to its western wall bears a Latin inscription: "Restored by the generosity of the King and the funds contributed by the citizens 1822". The Maison Carree is now a museum of antiquities. The temple has been continually adapted according to its various uses. Its interior has been divided at various times between two storeys and numerous rooms. A winding staircase and chimney were added, the columns of the vestibule enclosed by a wall and the underground vault transformed into a cellar. Various windows were added and subsequently bricked-up as the internal layout changed. A new roof, faithful to the design of the original, was added in 1992. The Carre d'Art, designed by Norman Foster, was constructed opposite the Masion Carree in 1993 as a modern counterpart to the city's classical heritage. Although constructed of glass and steel it replicates some of the architectural devices used by the temple in order to create a harmonious symmetry between the two buildings. The Maison Carree has inspired the design of several other prominent buildings, most notably the eglise de la Madeline in Paris and the State Capitol of Virginia.
© 2007 LACT Limited. All rights reserved Brief History Arena Carre d'Art Citadel Jardin de la Fontaine Maison Carree Tour Magne
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