The Maison Carrée of Nîmes - UNESCO World Heritage Centre

Brief synthesis

Located in the Occitanie region, The Maison Carrée of Nîmes is a pseudoperipteral hexastyle Corinthian-style temple erected in the 1st century CE in the forum of the Roman colony of Nemausus. It was dedicated to the prematurely deceased presumptive heirs of Augustus – Gaius and Lucius Caesar – who were accorded the title Princes of Youth (principes juventutis), through which the dynastic line of Augustus was sanctified and the edifice turned into a temple of imperial cult.

The strategic and symbolic position of the Maison Carrée in the forum in conjunction with other buildings that in the past hosted key political and religious institutions testify to the significance of the monument as a representation of the imperial authority of Rome in Nemausus and the protection of domus Augusta over the city and its citizens.

Through its architectural design that recalls key edifices from the Augustan period in Rome, and its symbolic decorative programme, the temple testifies to the moment of unification of the territory of Ancient Rome and the transition from republic to empire, which carried the promise of peace, prosperity and stability brought by Pax Romana.

Criterion (iv): The Maison Carrée is an early and one of the best-preserved examples of a Roman temple dedicated to the imperial cult in the Roman provinces that testifies to the period of Rome’s transition from republic to empire, reflecting the political system and the imperial ideology that underlay the process of consolidation of the territory conquered by Ancient Rome in the hands of Augustus. Through the historical circumstances of its construction in the Roman colony of Nemausus, its ideological significance as a place of imperial cult, as well as the symbolic architectural and decorative programme, the edifice manifests the values brought to the Roman Empire by Pax Romana.

Integrity

The key elements necessary to express the property’s Outstanding Universal Value are included within its boundary. The structural and decorative elements of the temple have survived in their original form or have been restored with great attention to detail. The cella of the temple has no original elements preserved. The historic setting of the property within the ensemble of the forum has changed due to the evolution of the urban fabric of Nîmes over the years.

Authenticity

Restorations that the temple has undergone since the 17th century helped the Maison Carrée to recover its original form without major structural changes and to preserve its decorative elements. All structural elements of the edifice are original, with the exception of the roofing, the ceiling of the pronaos, and the cella. The materials are still largely original or closely resemble the original local ones. The authenticity of the strategic setting of the Maison Carrée within the space of the ancient forum has been lost. It can be partly appreciated through the form and design of the place de la Maison Carrée, which was created with a view of imitating the historical context.

Protection and management requirements

The property is legally protected as a national historic monument through the Code du Patrimoine (art. L.621-1 to 33). Regulatory protective measures apply to the buffer zone through Site Patrimonial Remarquable mechanism under the Code du Patrimoine, and the relevant planning documents and special zoning restrictions developed under Code de l’Urbanisme and the Code de l’Environnement.

The management structure is based on a cooperation of city services and local and regional partners. Management of the property remains at the local level, in the hands of the municipality of Nîmes, and is executed in collaboration with the Direction Régionale des Affaires Culturelles; Direction Régionale de l’Environnement, de l’Aménagement et du Logement; and the Direction Départementale des Territoires. The Comité de Bien Maison Carrée Patrimoine Mondial de l’Unesco has been established as a decision-making organ, and a Technical Committee that relies on the competences of municipal divisions acts as its operational body.