The Square House in Nîmes: The Immortal Face of Rome (14 photos + 1 video)

The Maison Carrée in Nîmes, southern France, is the only ancient Roman structure that cannot be called a ruin.





While not as impressive as the Parthenon in Athens or as graceful as the Pantheon in Rome, the Maison Carrée has retained its architectural integrity and much of its original decoration, unlike many ancient buildings that have changed their purpose over the centuries.



The temple was built in the early first century. According to surviving accounts, it was dedicated to Lucius and Gaius Caesar, the grandsons of Emperor Augustus, whom he adopted as his successors. Both young men died young, never ascending the throne, prompting the emperor to dedicate the temple in memory of his grandsons.





Steel engraving from 1857

The inscription with their names was destroyed in the Middle Ages, possibly by Vandals who hated the ancient Romans for their cult of the imperial family. Only in the 18th century were scholars able to reconstruct the text, based on the location and number of holes on the façade where the bronze letters were attached. Since the 19th century, the church has gradually begun to regain its former splendor.



The Maison Carrée is a practically textbook example of Vitruvian architecture. The temple rises on a massive podium. Its deep portico, occupying almost a third of the building's length, is framed by six Corinthian columns supporting a pediment. Additional columns are set into the side walls. Above, the architrave is divided into three tiers by two recessed rows of stone droplets, and an elegant ovoid ornament separates it from the frieze. The interior is a single, windowless room, accessed by a huge door.



Emperor Octavian Augustus

The temple was once surrounded by later annexes, but they were demolished in the 19th century, returning the Maison Carrée to the seclusion it likely enjoyed in Roman times. At the same time, the portico was restored and a new coffered ceiling in the Roman style was added. Subsequent restorations in the 1980s and 1990s revealed the outlines of the forum, where the temple once stood.



Virginia State Capitol

The Maison Carrée has inspired many famous buildings around the world, such as the Church of St. Mary Magdalene in Paris, the Church of St. Marcelin in Rogalin, Poland, and the Virginia State Capitol in the United States.





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