Square House

This is one of the finest remains from the Roman era! The Square House is the only completely preserved temple from the ancient world, after the world’s best-kept Roman arenas! Pretty impressive, right? The question is, why is it called Square House? Well, you may have noticed that it’s shape isn’t quite square, but rather rectangular. Back in the 16th century, when it was given this name, the word ‘rectangle’ didn’t exist in French. Instead, it was called a ‘long square’, and a standard square was called a ‘perfect square’. The name stuck over the centuries, and the temple is now famous all over the world and is known as the Nîmes Square House. Built at the beginning of the 1st century AD, this impressive vestige of the Roman world was remarkably well-preserved over the centuries. Just like the Nîmes Arena, its extraordinary state can be explained by the fact that over the centuries there was always a use for it. It was initially a temple dedicated to Emperor Augustus and to the glory of his grandsons Lucius Caesar and Caius Julius Caesar, then it became the consular house of Nîmes during the Middle Ages, before becoming a residence, a convent, a stable and even the headquarters of the first prefecture of the Gard department in the early 19th century. In 1824, it became an exhibition site for ancient artefacts. Throughout its history, the building has undergone numerous renovations, which have enabled it to retain its original appearance and withstand the test of time. Designed after the great Mars and Apollo Temples in Rome, the Nîmes Square House was part of the Roman forum in Gallo-Roman times, the city’s central and economic centre, which was formerly known as Nemausus. The house was built on a podium measuring more than 2.60 metres high so that it would stand out in the public square. According to ancient rituals, priests had to start to climbing up it’s 15 steps a with their right foot and finish on the same foot once they reached the top. The stones used for the building came from various quarries around the city. Measuring 26 metres long, 15 metres wide and 17 metres high, it has been listed as a Historic Monument since 1840 and became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in September 2023. Other iconic monuments, such as the La Madeleine Church in Paris, were inspired by it. The Square House features six Corinthian columns on its façade and eleven on each side. Nowadays, it houses the Nîmes Museum, the city’s first museum, opened in 1823 and dedicated to ancient art. Take the time to admire this unique temple – it’s the only one you’ll see in such a good state!