Part 6

The remains of three parallel walls, with a space between them, under the level of the proscenium, have given rise to various theories as to their use. The most likely view seems to be that the apertures were used for lowering the curtain into before the performances began, as was then the custom, instead of raising it, as is done in modern times. The theatre is supposed to have been seated for 16,000 spectators. Several fine sculptures, now in the museum of Arles or the Louvre, have been dug out of the ruins of this structure.

Arles possesses the only ancient Obelisk in Gaul. It stands in the “place,” opposite the entrance to the cathedral, and is set on the backs of four lions, raised upon a pedestal. It was elevated to this eminence in 1676, after having lain for long in the bed of the river. The shaft is of grey granite, 47 feet high, but it is not of an elegant form, and tapers too rapidly towards the summit. It originally formed the spina of a Roman circus, where it was found in 1389.

In the front wall of the Hôtel du Nord (in the Place d’hommes) are inserted the fragments of two Roman granite columns with Corinthian caps, and part of a pediment (Fig. 12). But unfortunately the traveller, while enjoying the hospitality of the patron of the “Nord,” and sleeping with his head perhaps within a few feet of these remains, cannot have the satisfaction of imagining himself a dweller in a real Roman edifice, as it is evident that they are not in their original position, but have been brought from a distance at some remote time and set up here.

There are a few remnants, close to the river, of a building said to be the Palace of Constantine, including a brick tower called “La tour de la Trouille.” This is a palace which has had many and varied occupants--passing from its Roman masters down to the Kings of the Ostrogoths and Visigoths, the Kings of the Franks, and the Kings of Arles, the “Holy Roman Emperors” (when they came here to be crowned Kings of Arles), and the Counts of Provence.

In Roman times there was a space to the east of the town used as a cemetery, and called the Elysii Campi, or Champs Elysées, now the “Alyscamps.” This necropolis was by tradition supposed to have been specially consecrated by our Saviour himself, and consequently became a very favourite place of burial. Princes and dignitaries of Church and State desired to rest here. Bodies committed to the river (along with the suitable burial fees) were sure to reach the Alyscamps. It was celebrated by the poets Dante and Ariosto, and became of world-wide fame. Chapels and churches were erected in the vicinity, there being no less than nineteen at one time. But the translation of the body of St Trophime, A.D. 1152, from the Alyscamps to the cathedral of Arles, seemed to take away the prestige of the former, and from that time it gradually decayed.

During its palmy days in the early centuries, this cemetery had become greatly enriched with splendid monuments and sarcophagi, partly heathen and partly Christian, but all designed and executed after the Roman or Grecian manner. At the Renaissance these ancient classic monuments were specially prized and admired, and many of them were removed. Sarcophagi were distributed as specimens of early Christian art to Rome, Lyons, and other towns; the place was gradually deserted and destroyed, and the monuments were finally turned to common and ignominious uses such as cattle troughs and bridges over the ditches in the fields. Now the few remaining tombs have been collected and placed on each side of the road leading to the chapel of St Honorat (Fig. 13), where they produce from their position and their classic forms a striking resemblance to the burial places of the Romans, which lined the wayside at the entrances to their cities, such as the Appian way at Rome, and the approach to Pompeii.

A large number of the finest sarcophagi have fortunately been preserved in the Arles museum. Some of them certainly belong to Pagan times, but most of them are of later date. Many are adorned with bas-reliefs, representing the hunt of the Stag or Wild Boar, Apollo and the Muses, and other classic and allegorical subjects.

A museum has been established in the disused Gothic Church of St Anne, in which some fine examples of classic sculpture are preserved. Besides the Pagan sarcophagi above referred to it contains some Roman or rather Greek sculptures of considerable purity and beauty; the Grecian descent and culture of the country being distinctly observable in these monuments--just as the same Greek feeling prevails in the paintings and sculpture of Pompeii. The fragment of a statue of a female dancer (Fig. 14) is particularly graceful in pose and in the execution of the drapery. The sarcophagus (Fig. 15), with an inscription and two well carved festoons, is called the Tomb of Cornelia. Fig. 16 shews a finely carved oak wreath and vase on the monument to the “good Goddess,” and a beautifully sculptured though mutilated bust of the Empress Livia. Fig. 17 represents a fragment of very spirited carving of foliage said to be from the frieze of the Arc de Triomph, an amphora and a Corinthian capital.

The Museum also includes a large number of early

Christian monuments. That in Fig. 18, representing scenes from the life of our Saviour, exhibits figures carved in the Roman manner, and wearing the Roman costume, but degraded in style,--evidently the work of the Low Empire. Christ occupies the central compartment, and four wide arches contain figure subjects,--those on the extreme right and left representing the Magdalene and Pilate, while the two central compartments contain saints bearing palm branches.

The arcade on this sarcophagus is supported on pillars with composite caps and bases, and shafts ornamented with flutings and twists, similar in character to the shafts of the early mediæval cloisters. The archivolt is a veritable architrave with leaf enrichment carried round the arch, and filled in with a scallop shell. It thus forms a distinct and instructive example of the manner in which the late Romans dispensed with the straight architrave, and adopted the arch springing directly from the caps of the columns, as will be more fully explained further on. It will then be shewn how this monument illustrates the transition from the leading features of the Greek trabeated style to those of fully developed Roman Architecture, and also the mode in which Roman art was continued into Christian times.

Most of the early Christian sarcophagi are carved with Biblical subjects symbolical of the new birth, the great Sacrifice, the Resurrection, the Last Judgment, &c., such as the creation of Adam and Eve, Moses striking the rock or raising the serpent, Jonah and the whale, Daniel and the lions, the parables and miracles of our Lord, &c. These form as interesting a series of early Christian sculptures, combined with late Roman features, as is anywhere to be found.

On the east side of the town are the remains of some parts of the Roman walls, built in their usual massive manner. These consist of portions of the gate of the town, by which the Aurelian way entered, flanked by ruined round towers.

NIMES (Nemausus). Situated at no great distance from Arles, and at the base of the hills which bound the plain of the Rhone, Nimes formed the capital of the Volces Arecomiques (or inhabitants of the flat country). In B.C. 121 it submitted voluntarily to Rome, and a few years B.C. Augustus planted a colony there. Being enriched with baths, &c., by Agrippa, Nimes soon became an important town surrounded with walls and towers, and provided with all the usual public buildings. It had reached the height of prosperity when it was ravaged by the Vandals in 407. In 472 it fell under the power of the Visigoths, who established themselves in the town, and made the amphitheatre their fortress. After suffering the usual course of sieges and destruction by the Saracens and Franks, Nimes early declared itself a Republic. In 1185 it came under the suzerainty of the Count of Toulouse, in which condition it continued to flourish till it finally passed to France under Louis VIII., along with the other domains of the Count of Toulouse after the Albigensian wars.

Although Nimes was a comparatively obscure town in the days of the Empire, the remains of its Roman monuments are the finest in Southern Gaul. The Amphitheatre (Fig. 19) is not quite so large as that at Arles, nor is the interior (Fig. 20) so well preserved, but the exterior is more complete. It measures 437 feet by 332 feet, with thirty-two rows of seats which contained about 20,000 spectators. The amphitheatre is now well seen, owing to the removal of the paltry buildings which had invaded it both within and without. Like all such Roman works it is constructed with the most massive materials, built without cement, and all bound together with solid stone lintels and arches. Fig. 21, a view in the corridor on the first floor, gives some idea of the colossal strength of the masonry. But these great stone lintels, massive as they are, indicate a vicious form of construction, many of them being cracked and shattered by the weight of the arches resting upon them. The exterior is of the usual design of such edifices having two arcades superimposed one on the other, with upright pilasters, or engaged columns, between the arcades supporting horizontal entablatures. Each arcade has sixty arches. The pilasters of the ground tier are square, and have no base, while the engaged columns of the upper tier are round and of the Doric order; above the latter is the attic, partly demolished, but still containing 120 bold consoles with holes to receive the masts which supported the velarium or awning.

There are four principal entrances at the four cardinal points; that of the North ornamented with a cornice resting on two bulls’ fore quarters. Similar ornamental bulls were introduced in the Temple which stood where the Cathedral is now built, and on the fine gate of Augustus of this city. Some therefore think it a kind of coat of arms given by the Emperors to the town. Others imagine that these features were adopted in order to flatter the Emperor Augustus, some bulls’ heads having been sculptured on the house in which he was born. A few sculptures are still visible on the amphitheatre, including two gladiators, and the Roman wolf.

A very large part of the ornament is left in block, only the western division being finished, the carving of the remainder never having been completed. The podium surrounding the arena is low, as at Arles, thus confirming Mérimée’s views as to the provisions which required to be adopted for the safety of the audience.

The interior has been greatly restored, so as to make it available for a large modern audience, and the amphitheatre is now used, amongst other exhibitions, for the annual branding of the young bulls of the Camargue, which, from the lively description of it given by Alexandre Dumas, seems to be a stirring spectacle, not unworthy of this classic arena.

In ancient times the lowest or first series of seats was set apart for the senators; the second series for the knights; the third for plebeians; and the top rows for the slaves. The last being the most quarrelsome it was considered desirable to endeavour to prevent squabbling by marking off each person’s seat. This was effected by means of lines cut in the stone, some of which are still visible _in situ_.

Some years ago there existed in the first precincts divisions similar to those of boxes in modern theatres.

The celebrated Maison Carrée at Nimes (Fig. 22) is probably the purest piece of Roman work to be found north of the Alps, and cannot fail strongly to impress the beholder, especially if he here sees for the first time a genuine Roman temple. The design doubtless owes much of its beauty and purity to the Grecian spirit of the locality. The building is small, being only about 80 feet by 40 feet. The portico, with its ten Corinthian columns, and enriched pediment, is very fine; but the effect of the flank view, in which the columns attached to the cella are visible, is not so satisfactory. The temple is surrounded by thirty columns in all, including those of the portico, which stand free, and the engaged columns of the flanks and rear. This is what is called the _pseudo-peripteral_ plan--the true peripteral temple having the columns detached so as to form an ambulatory all round the cella. The former is the arrangement usual in Roman temples, which, according to Fergusson, never follow the genuine peripteral type. It is,

however, worthy of note, that the PLAN of this building with its deep porch is rather Italo-Etruscan than Greek, and thus adheres to the traditional type observed by the Romans.

The cornice is perhaps rather over-enriched and is indicative of a late date, when classic art was in decadence; but the frieze is beautifully designed, and the style as a whole is remarkably pure and elegant.

Various ingenious attempts have been made to decipher the letters of the bronze inscription (which were originally fixed on the frieze of the portico), by means of the holes formed by the bolts which attached them to the stone work. The reading which seems most probable from its agreeing with the style of the building, indicates that it was dedicated to two nobles distinguished with the title of “princes of youth.” It is as follows:--

M. CAESARI AUGUSTI F. COS. L. CAESARI AUGUSTI F. COS. DESIGNATO PRINCIPIBUS JUVENTUTIS.

This inscription necessarily places the Temple in the age of the Antonines, since the only princes known to whom the above names and title of Principes Juventutis will apply, after the sons of Agrippa, were Marcus Aurelius, and Lucius Verus, adopted sons of Antoninus Pius.

From excavations around the edifice it has been ascertained that the 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.

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.

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.

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.