La Maison Carree,
or Square House, located in Nimes France it is an ancient roman temple it was
founded as a Roman colony during the first century it is an extremely well
preserved monument. The Maison Carree, 82 feet by 40 feet wide and it is one of
the most beautiful monuments built in Gaul by the Romans, and was done under
Augustus’s rule.
It was originally commissioned by his son-in-law Marcus Agrippa, but the
person who designed it is unknown. It is known that its design was heavily
influenced by Greek architecture as is evidenced by the Corinthian pillars.
However, by this time, the Roman architects had developed their own style as
well and this can also be seen in the Maison Carree in the raised platforms and
wide front steps which had evolved from the Etruscan style of architecture. It
was also inspired by the temples to Mars and Apollo and much of it was modeled
after the temples to these gods. In short, Maison Carree, among other buildings
that were being constructed at this time, was a merging of Etruscan temple
style and Greek style, with heavier influence from the Greeks than from the
Romans.
La Maison Carree was lucky to survive the fall of the Empire. This is mostly due to the fact that the building became a church in the fourth century, it has been partly renovated and restored over the years, built of local limestone the graceful edifice is elevated on a tall podium nearly 10 feet high and approached by a monumental flight of stairs on the west end. Despite the temple’s French name, which means “Square House” the building is actually rectangular. The building has a single portico on the west side, consisting of six 33 feet high Corinthian columns, but a symmetrical appearance is maintained with matching engaged columns around the remainder of the building, the architrave above the columns is carved with fine reliefs of rosettes and acanthus leaves, the façade is dominated by a deep portico or pronaos almost a third of the building’s length, it is a hexastyle design with six Corinthian columns under the pediment at either end, the large door leads to the surprisingly small and windows interior, where the shrine was originally housed. This is now used to house tourist oriented film on the Roman history of Nimes.
The Maison
Carree was later used as part of the palace of the Visigothic kings, who took
over Gaul in the fifth century. It has always been known as a splendid example
of Roman architecture and was admired by later generations. The American
statesman Thomas Jefferson made drawings of it, and used them when he designed
the state capitol of Virginia in Richmond.
Anachronism in the Roman
Architecture of Gaul: The Date of the Maison Carree at Nimes
James C. Anderson, Jr. Journal of
the Society of Architectural Historians Vol. 60, No. 1 (Mar., 2001), pp.
68-79
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