Nîmes - Arènes / Amphitheatre

The chief monument in Nîmes is the Amphitheater, which is located in the town center. It dates from the A.D. first century and is 133m/146yd by 101m/110yd in area and up to 21m/69ft high. With a seating capacity of 21,000 it is admittedly not one of the largest, but it is one of the best preserved of all the 70 known Roman amphitheaters, especially in the upper part. The 60 arches of the exterior circuit are embellished in the lower part with pilasters and in the upper part with Doric half-columns. Brackets for the wooden masts of the awning can be seen on the top. The richly decorated main entrance faces northwest. The crowds thronging the theater were able to leave by 124 exits in a few minutes. In the fifth C. the Western Goths turned the arena into a fortress. In the Middle Ages it served as a knight's castle, then as dwellings for about 2,000 people, who had their own chapel.

Since 1989 the amphitheater has been covered with a 4,800sq.m/5,740sq.yd plastic roof, supported on 30 metal pillars, which are fixed in the non-Roman part of the building fabric. In this way cultural events can be held here even in winter, while in summer the roof is removed.