Temple formed a centre from which colonnades extended on either hand. It
thus probably stood at the end of a Forum, the colonnades around which
enclosed shops and places of business or pleasure. This edifice has
passed through many vicissitudes; and it is marvellous how it has
survived all the various uses or abuses to which it has been subject. It
was naturally in the course of events first changed from a Pagan Temple
into a Christian Church; in the eleventh century it formed the council
chamber of the municipal body; and at a later time it was degraded into
a stable, when the flutings of the columns were grated off to allow
carts to pass between them. It then became attached to an Augustinian
Convent, and was used as a mausoleum and place of burial. More recently
it was occupied as the Hall of meeting of the revolutionary tribunal,
and still later as a corn market. Now it has been put in good order, and
contains the local museum of antiquities. This Museum comprises some
good sculpture, especially a fine statue of Venus (Fig. 23), and
numerous antiquarian fragments,--many for want of room being ranged
round an enclosure in the open air. Portions of Roman mosaics and
foundations of an earlier Roman building have been discovered under the
soil of the Maison Carrée, thus shewing that it has been erected at a
later period than the first occupation of the site by the Romans.
[Illustration: FIG. 23. STATUE OF VENUS.]
According to Mérimée the style accords with the time of the Antonines,
when the decadence had begun, and when richness and multiplicity of
details replaced the simple majesty of the first century. He also points
out various irregularities in the structure which would never have been
tolerated in the earlier period,--such as, that the columns are not
equally spaced, that there is an unequal number of modillions on the
opposite sides, that the caps are too low, and the shafts of the columns
too long (being 10¼ diameters in height). But notwithstanding these
defects the Maison Carrée is a building of which Nimes and France may
well be proud.
[Illustration: FIG. 24. NYMPHÆUM, NIMES]
The Nymphæum or Temple of the Nymphs at Nimes (Fig. 24), with its
accompanying fountain, is another charming and quite unique structure.
The fountain bursts forth in great abundance at the base of a hill
called Mont Cavalier. It is enclosed in a space which was formerly a
Roman Bath, and is then led away through wide open conduits or canals,
all lined with stone and faced with pilasters. The whole is situated in
a pretty public garden to which the fountain gives a special character.
In this garden too, are found the ruins of the above temple, formerly
called of Diana, which, however, is now supposed to have been a
Nymphæum, or Temple dedicated to the Nymphs, and forming part of the
Baths. The interior contains twelve niches of good design, and the roof
was constructed with large stone arches or transverse ribs, between
which the space was filled in with a plain waggon vault or flags of
stone. This kind of vaulting was also adopted, as will be further
explained afterwards, in the construction of the early Christian
churches of Syria, and had undoubtedly great influence on the design of
the first vaulted churches of Provence. The Nymphæum now contains a
museum of busts and statues. This temple is shewn, by an inscription, to
have been built along with the Baths in the time of Augustus. The
variety and elegance of its details are further evidence of the Grecian
taste of the people of the district. The aqueduct from the Pont du Gard
terminated in a reservoir near this point.
The Tour Magne (Fig. 25), on the top of the hill above the Fountain of
the Nymphs, is a Roman building, the object of which has given rise to
much discussion, without any definite conclusion being arrived at. It
seems, however, most likely to have been a mausoleum. The plan is
octagonal, and the walls are built with rough ashlar. The structure is
hollow, and from 90 to 100 feet high. It was attached to the walls of
Augustus, and in later times was converted into a fortress by the Count
of Toulouse. The general resemblance of the design of this monument to
that of Augustus at La Turbie, which we shall meet with further on, is
very striking.
Two of the Roman gates of Nimes remain. The Porte d’Auguste, founded
B.C. 16, has a double arch for vehicles, and two side openings for foot
passengers flanked by two towers. Like the Roman gates of Autun these
two towers contained stairs leading to the walls, and formed posts of
observation. The other gate, the Porte de France, lies to the west of
the amphitheatre, and has one wide archway.
[Illustration: FIG. 25. LA TOURMAGNE, NIMES.]
[Illustration: FIG. 26. LE PONT DU GARD.]
PONT DU GARD (Fig. 26). This magnificent specimen of Roman engineering
is situated at a distance of about 13 miles N.E. from Nimes, on the way
to Avignon, and can now be reached by rail. It formed part of an
aqueduct (partly in tunnel and partly in open canal) of about 25 miles
in length, which brought an ample supply of water to Nimes. This work is
said to have been built by M. Agrippa, son-in-law of Augustus, 19 years
B.C. It has thus for 1900 years defied all the attacks of man, both
barbarian and civilised, as well as the elements, to which so many other
Roman monuments have succumbed, and still stands almost as perfect as at
first. The arcades abut at either end on the slope of the hills at the
base of which flows the river Gardon. The aqueduct measures 160 feet in
height, and 882 feet in length on the top. It is composed of three
stages, all built with enormous blocks of stone placed together without
cement, and presents probably the most stupendous example of the
solidity of Roman workmanship in Gaul. But it is roughly and irregularly
constructed, as if utility alone had been considered, and no regard paid
to beauty; the arches are unequal in span, and the structure itself is
bent in its length. The arches are constructed, those of the two upper
arcades with three, and those of the lower arcade with four distinct
courses in the breadth of the structure. These courses are composed of
stones of immense size, placed side by side, but not otherwise joined
together. Above the upper tier lies the conduit for the water, 5 feet
high, and 2 feet wide, covered over with immense flags, which even the
Goths seem to have despaired of being able to destroy. The conduit is
lined with strong Roman cement, which still remains sound and good. The
projecting blocks observed on the flanks and under the arches were
intended to receive scaffolding for the execution of repairs, should
these ever be required in a work so simple and substantial. “What a
grand faith,” exclaims Mérimée, “must the constructors of this aqueduct
have had in the eternal duration of the Roman Empire, when they made
provision for _repairing_ this gigantic and enduring work!” The bridge
placed alongside the lower arches is of modern construction, having been
erected in 1743.
Leaving Arles for Marseilles we traverse a country as bare and
uninteresting as an African desert. To the right, on the western side of
the Rhone, lies the great plain of the Camargue, the delta of the river,
composed of mingled salt mud and stagnant pools, the result of the
contest between the waters of the Rhone and the sea; the former
constantly pouring down immense volumes of _débris_, and the latter,
obeying the impulse of the wind, as constantly driving it back upon the
land. But the railway, keeping on the eastern side of the river, runs
through a different but not less remarkable plain called the “Crau.”
This consists of an immense accumulation of shingle, composed of
water-worn and rounded stones of all sizes--the fabled scene of the
fight of Hercules with the Ligurians, when Jupiter rained down these
stones to provide the hero with ammunition. This extensive plain was a
barren wilderness until a system of irrigation was introduced by the
construction of the Canal de Craponne, whereby the water of the Durance
is brought down for its fertilisation. Having at last crossed the Crau
we arrive at ST CHAMAS, where the eye is relieved by the bright and
peaceful prospect over the Etang de Berre, an extensive branch of the
Mediterranean almost entirely surrounded with land. St Chamas is a
quaint old town, with some of its houses hollowed out of the rock and
traces of ancient ramparts. About half-a-mile distant may be seen an
interesting Roman Bridge called the Pont Flavia. It is constructed with
the usual solid masonry, and spans the river Touloubre with one arch,
which is abutted by the rocky banks. The entrance at either end to the
roadway over the bridge is through an arch, decorated with Corinthian
columns and entablature. These archways are well preserved and are
illustrated in Fergusson’s “Handbook of Architecture.” The columns are
surmounted with lions, and the frieze bears an inscription shewing that
the structure was erected by one of the Flavii.
Some distance north from this, on the slope of the chain of the
Vernégues, which divides the valley of the Durance from that of the
Rhone, are to be found the relics of a small Corinthian temple,
originally preceded with a peristyle of four columns in front, and
pilasters of return on each side, of which, however, only one single
pillar now survives. This was doubtless the site of the ancient
Ernaginum.
In early Christian times this temple seems to have been converted into a
church, and a circular-headed window opened in the wall of the cella. A
chapel dedicated to St Césaire was in the tenth century erected against
the north wall, with a door into the main church, now built up. The
temple is well illustrated in Texier and Pullan’s “Byzantine
Architecture,” and is said to be “full of the sentiment of pure Greek
art.” The carving of the capital, as shewn in Texier’s drawing, is in
the best style. “The proportions of the entire column, which are
excellent,” says Texier “and the foliage of the capital, which seems to
have been inspired by that of the monument to Lysicrates, prove that
this little building, concealed amongst the mountains of Provence, was
the work of a Greek artist of the colony of Massilia.”
It has already been pointed out how capriciously the Roman remains have
been preserved in Southern Gaul. While a small provincial town like
Nimes possesses so many splendid examples, the great and ancient cities
of Marseilles and Narbonne have scarcely a single relic of their Greek
or Roman civilisation left. At Marseilles some fragments of walls with
an archway and some subterranean vaults under the Church of St Sauveur
are the only remains of the splendid edifices which no doubt once
adorned this ancient and important city.
All along the coast between the Rhone and the Pyrenees, many towns
existed and flourished under the Empire, but there is now scarcely a
fragment of Roman work to be found in the whole province.
Leaving therefore for the present this south-western district, we shall
now follow the great Aurelian way which conducted from Spain and Gaul
eastward into Italy. This road passes through the celebrated Riviera,
the favourite winter resort of the delicate from every country in
Europe, and even from America. It consists of a narrow strip of land
between the lower spurs of the Alps and the sea; but this level strip is
frequently interrupted by branches or roots sent down from the mountains
which run out as Capes into the Mediterranean, enclosing in their arms
beautifully sheltered sunny bays, each having a town or village of its
own. The Roman road clung to the mountains, the engineers finding it
easier to span with bridges the higher rugged ravines of the torrents
than the broad channels of the rivers near their mouths, where the
shingly and shifting foundation was found insecure. Of the towns and
stations which existed along this route in Roman times, some vestiges
may still be traced.
TOULON, now the great naval arsenal of France in the Mediterranean
(formerly Telo Martius), contains no Roman buildings; but some miles to
the eastward, on the road by the coast leading to Hyères, the ruins of
an ancient Roman town called POMPONIANA have been discovered and partly
excavated--exposing to view portions of the walls of houses, vaults,
walls of enceinte, frescoes, fragments of sculpture, aqueducts, baths,
&c. The wall of a quay presents the peculiarity of being built above a
basement formed of large cubes of stone, superimposed, but not united
with cement, which seems to be of Cyclopean work.
Moving eastward we pass LE LUC (Forum Voconii) in the middle of the
fertile “garden of Provence,” where one Roman sculpture of a boar hunt
has been preserved; and following the course of the river Argens, with
the rocky mountains of Les Maures on the right we arrive at FRÉJUS, an
important sea-port in Roman times, and then known as Julii Forum.
This town is supposed to have been first occupied by the Phœnicians, and
afterwards by the Greek colonists. It was enlarged and improved by
Julius Cæsar and Augustus. It then possessed a valuable harbour at the
mouth of the river Argens, to which Augustus sent the fleet of galleys
which he took from Anthony at the battle of Actium; but the sediment of
the river has now silted up the harbour, and formed a flat plain of
about a mile in breadth between the ancient port and the sea. The
protecting walls of the harbour, with a solid obelisk at the end, which
no doubt marked the entrance, still remain, but are now high and dry on
the plain. Adjoining these are the walls of a strong fort or castellum
for the protection of the port, built with Roman masonry of small sized
cubic stones. The “Porte dorée,” is an archway close to the railway,
built with similar masonry, divided with courses of brick work, now
greatly restored and renewed. It is
[Illustration: FIG. 27. AMPHITHEATRE, FRÉJUS.]
supposed to have been the gate between the port and the town. Some ruins
of the baths have been discovered adjoining this. Considerable remains
of the ancient Roman city walls, enclosing five times the extent of the
present town, still remain. Close to the railway station relics of the
“gate of Gaul,” and other Roman works are observable. Following these
from the railway station towards the left, the ruins of the Roman
Amphitheatre (Fig. 27), through which the public road passes by a
picturesque archway, are soon reached. The interior is fairly preserved,
together with the arches which sustained the seats, staircases, &c., but
the exterior walls and arcades (if the building ever had an ornamental
exterior, which is doubtful) are now completely awanting. The
Amphitheatre is 375 ft. long by 273 ft. wide. The east side rests on the
slope of a hill, so that little building was required in that position,
but the west side of the structure is raised from the level plain.
Continuing round the old walls of the town to the eastward, we find in a
garden the ruins of a Roman Theatre. The dimensions of this building,
which was of small size compared to those we have met with at Orange and
Arles, are quite traceable, but the scena is gone all but the
foundations, and only some walls and ruined arches of the auditorium
remain above ground.
A little further round the walls, traces are observed of the great
aqueduct which brought the water of the river Siagnolles to Fréjus from
a distance of above 20 miles. On turning the north-east angle of the
walls, the ruined piers of the aqueduct are seen stretching across the
plain. At the above point the conduit is in a canal owing to the height
of the ground. On reaching the main road leading from Fréjus to the
eastwards, the aqueduct takes a sudden bend to the east, and follows the
road for a considerable distance. At this bend was an entrance gate of
the town, called the gate of Rome, a portion of which still exists. From
here a branch canal took the water to the port. In its long course the
aqueduct is sometimes in cutting, and sometimes carried on lofty piers
and arches 87 feet wide. Those near the town (Fig. 28) are amongst the
finest specimens, but some portions in the more remote valleys also
still retain their arches, and at one place the aqueduct is carried in
two parallel canals on separate arches.
[Illustration: FIG. 28. AQUEDUCT, FRÉJUS.]
Between Fréjus and Cannes, the Roman Via Aurelia passes inland through
the chain of the Esterelle mountains, whence the Romans obtained much of
the granite and porphyry found in their monuments. At Cannes and
neighbourhood there are a few Roman relics. A bridge over one of the
small streams which descend from the hills through the town is said
(but this is doubtful) to be of Roman origin. A delightful walk of an
hour from Cannes over the hills leads by Vallauris to CLAUSONNE, where
the well preserved remains of the Roman aqueduct (Fig. 29) which
conveyed the water supply to Antibes are still to be seen.
[Illustration: FIG. 29. AQUEDUCT OF CLAUSONNE.]
At ANTIBES, the ancient Roman Antipolis, there are no Roman remains; but
according to M. Lenthéric, a stone has been found here with a Greek
inscription, giving proof of the ancient worship of the Hellenes in this
region in the fifth century B.C.
At VENCE, the ancient Ventium, a town some seven miles inland, a number
of Roman inscriptions are built into the wall of the Cathedral, and two
granite columns are preserved, which are supposed to have been
anciently
[Illustration: FIG. 30. CIMIÈZ (_Looking N.E._)]
presented to the town by the city of Marseilles (_see_ Part VI.)
Crossing the wide and dangerous channel of the Var (formerly the
boundary between France and Savoy) we arrive at Nice.
[Illustration: FIG. 31. CIMIEZ (_Looking S.W._)]
NICE (or Nizza), although now the most important town on the Riviera,
possesses no ancient buildings. In Roman times Cemenelum (now Cimièz),
the chief city of the Maritime Alps, stood on a lofty site about three
miles up the river Paglione from the modern town. This ancient city has
almost entirely disappeared, its only relics being the ruins of a small
amphitheatre (Figs. 30 and 31), through the centre of which the public
road now passes, and some excavated hypocausts in the garden of a villa
adjoining. The amphitheatre measures 214 feet long by 178 feet wide, and
it has been calculated that it was capable of containing about 8000
spectators. The form of the arena and the slope of the first series of
seats can be distinctly seen, but otherwise the building is a complete
ruin. A few of the perforated corbels for the support of the poles which
carried the velarium may, however, be still observed on the exterior.
But the want of architectural features is to some extent compensated by
the grandeur of the views obtained from the walls, comprising the whole
of the coast from Bordighera on the east, to the Cap d’Antibes on the
west. Proceeding in that direction, a drive along the magnificent
Cornice-road soon brings us to the ancient boundary between Gaul and
Italy at
[Illustration: FIG. 32. MONUMENT TO AUGUSTUS, LA TURBIE.]
LA TURBIE (Turbia or Trophæa), a small town standing on an inland pass
formed by a notch in the mountains, which here rise in great precipices
directly from the sea. On this neck a trophy was built in commemoration
of the victories of Augustus over the Alpine tribes. The monument (Fig.
32) has been of great size, and is built with large blocks of stone. It
probably stood on a square base, on which was erected the great circular
mass above. It was adorned with statues, and a colossal figure of the
emperor crowned the top. The design would thus resemble a great many of
the splendid mausoleums erected about that time in Italy. As above
noticed this edifice bears a strong likeness to the Tour Magne at Nimes.
The massive Roman work is still traceable in the lower parts filled in
with rubble between. Fragments of an inscription have been found in the
ruins commemorating the triumphs of the divine Emperor and High Priest
Augustus. In mediæval times this monument was, as usual, converted into
a fortress, as the work of the upper part still shews. It is executed in
inferior masonry, and the cornice is Italian in character. The fortress
was blown up by Marshal de Villars in the seventeenth century. The
gateways of the town (_see_ Part VI.) and other structures have been
built with massive stones from the ruins of the trophy, which, as so
often happens, has been used as a convenient quarry.
A splendid view of the coast is obtained from the summit, including
Monaco, Monte Carlo, Mentone, and point after point to the eastward
leading into Italy. But though we now stand on the borders of Italy, we
should still have far to travel through the land ere we encountered such
a fine series of Roman structures as those we have just been
contemplating. Not till we reach Verona, or Rome itself, are monuments
to be found comparable with the amphitheatres of Arles and Nimes, or the
theatre of Orange; and there is probably no temple even in Rome so
complete and striking in its unity and spirit as the Maison Carrée at
Nimes. But our way lies not across this border. We must now turn back
and follow in the later edifices the course of Roman Art after the Fall
of the Empire, and the growth and development of the new styles which
sprung from it.
[Illustration]
[Illustration] V.
The transition from the architecture of Rome to that of mediæval times
forms one of the most interesting and instructive epochs in our art. The
whole history of Roman art is that of a transition from the external
trabeated style, with its horizontal entablature, which was common to
the early races of Greece and Italy, to the complete development of the
internal arched architecture, which was the final outcome of Roman
constructional forms.
The leading features of that Italo-Greek architecture contain a
reminiscence or survival of the primitive elements of wooden
construction, from which they were doubtless traditionally derived,
although in the course of time their origin had been lost sight of. Thus
the upright pillars with their flutings are idealised descendants of the
Egyptian column, which again represents a bundle of reeds tied together.
The horizontal entablature is derived from the beams laid across the
heads of the pillars, in accordance with the earliest and most natural
mode of wooden construction. The pediment is the evident continuation
(both in place and time) of the couples and ties of a wooden roof of the
simplest and most primitive design; while the side cornice represents
the projection of the eaves, and the triglyphs and modillions are the
imitative survivals of the ends of the cross beams or ties and the
sloping rafters of the wooden roof. For centuries this trabeated
principle prevailed in Rome; but together with it there existed a
disturbing element, which at first appeared to be small and
insignificant, but which nevertheless contained the elements of the
greatest revolutions in architecture which the world has yet seen. That
little feature was the arch, the distinguishing principle of true stone
construction--the seed containing the germ from which, through Roman
cultivation, have sprung all the great families of mediæval
architecture, whether Byzantine, Gothic, or Saracenic.