The Amphitheatre from the 4th century AD to today

The end of the circus games

Gradually the gladatorial combats turned into carnage and it was common for the spectators themselves to come to blows. In the 4th century AD, the Roman Empire was nothing more than a giant with feet of clay, facing challenges from all sides: on its borders by attacks from the Barbarians, and from within by Christians who promoted values that no longer included pagan pleasures. The Emperor Theodosius made Christianity a state religion in 391. The former pagan temples were transformed into churches and the violent and cruel entertainment of the games was called into question. Gladiators were finally outlawed in 404 AD.

The “Chevaliers des Arènes”

In the 12th century, under the suzerainty of the counts of Toulouse, the castrum became the home of the viscounty of Nîmes and its vassals: the “Chevaliers des Arènes”, and a château was built inside the monument. An actual village, which still numbered more than 700 inhabitants in the 18th century, developed within the amphitheatre, with notably the construction of two churches, Saint-Pierre and Saint-Martin. This small district, criss-crossed with small streets, lasted until the beginning of the 19th century.

Châteaux, houses and churches in the Amphitheatre

At the beginning of the 12th century, when the Languedoc region became part of France, the building ceased to play a military role. The château fell under the ownership of the King of France and his representatives occupied it until the 14th century, before moving to a new château built on the site of the “Porte d’Auguste” (the Augustus Gate). The abandoned amphitheatre was then handed over to private owners. The additional constructions that overburdened it (houses, the viscounts’ château, churches) remained in place until the end of the 18th century.

Clearing and restoration

The idea of returning the Amphitheatre to its ancient glories dates from King François I. But at that time the constructions were merely cleared from the first floor gallery, leaving the chaos of houses that filled the Amphitheatre. In the 18th century, there were still some 150 houses with hundreds of people living in them. It was not until the early 19th century that the final houses were demolished and the architect Henri Revoil completed the restoration of the monument.