The Maison Carrée

Inspired by the temples of Apollo and Mars Ultor in Rome, the Maison Carrée charms visitors with its harmonious proportions. The only ancient temple to be completely preserved, the Maison Carrée measures 26 metres long by 15 metres wide and 15 metres high.
The ceiling of the pronaos (entrance to the temple) dates from the early 19th century and the current door was constructed in 1824.
It is one of the expressions of the new regime introduced by the Emperor Augustus. He surrounded himself with his imperial family and created new sites for the staging of special events and to serve as an expression of the public authority. Monuments, inscriptions, statues and portraits and architectural décor all describe, each in their own language, the actions and evolution of the new regime. The Maison Carrée of Nîmes was part of this new political state of affairs.
The Maison Carrée owes its exceptional level of preservation to the fact that it was constantly in use from the 11th century. It has since served as a consular house, stables, apartments and even as a church. After the French Revolution, it became the headquarters for the first prefecture of the Gard region, and was then transformed into departmental archives.

The 3D film, immersing you in the heart of a thousand-year-old town

The multimedia show “Heroes of Nîmes”, shown in the Maison Carrée, takes you back to the city’s heroic past by means of the latest technologies. Wearing special glasses and seated in front of the giant panoramic screen, you are plunged into the daily life of an inhabitant of Nîmes during the contemporary festivals. This 22-minute film is centred around an augur, a major ceremony held in the ancient Roman temples. During a divination ritual, a Haruspex conjures up the images of several heroes of Nîmes. The gladiators of the early eras are replaced by the sporting excitement of the tournaments, the discovery of the Pont du Gard, and the visual beauty of a torero’s gestures. The 3D film takes visitors on a real journey through time to the very heart of the grand epochs that have marked the city of Nîmes. This film was produced by AMAK, a company specialising in 3D films, which has created and produced several 3D films.