The Maison Carre in Nimes, France

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The Maison Carrée in Nimes, France
The squared house
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The other side of the temple notice the
freestanding and engaged columns.
Length 31.8m
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pediment
entablature
stylobate(2 steps)
podium
15 steps
Podium
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The entablature

• Remember that this has three components
• The architrave (immediately above the capitals of
  the columns)
• The frieze (above the architrave and decorated
  with an acanthus scroll design)
• The cornice, above the frieze, which protrudes
  from the wall

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The entrance steps and porch by night
Cornice Frieze Architrave
The entablature
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The imposing hexastylefrontage six fluted
columns with Corinthian capitals note the
coffered ceiling of the porch
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Close-up of columns at the front of the porch
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A view to the outside from inside the porch
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The Maison Carrée is a pseudoperipteral temple
there is the appearance of columns surrounding it
on all sides.
Made of local limestone
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This temple was probably built by Marcus Agrippa,
a close friend and son-in-law of the emperor
Augustus. It is a very common type of Roman
temple.
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It may originally have been dedicated to the
emperor's protective spirit and the goddess Roma
(genius Augusti et dea Roma). We know from the
remains of an inscription that it was at some
time dedicated to Caius and Lucius, the grandsons
of Augustus, and children of Agrippa and
Augustus' daughter Julia.
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The inscription

• TO GAIUS CAESAR,
• SON OF AUGUSTUS,
• CONSUL,
• TO LUCIUS CAESAR,
• SON OF AUGUSTUS,
• CONSUL DESIGNATE,
• LEADERS OF THE YOUTH

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C- CAESARI AVGVSTI  F  COS  L  CAESARI AVGVSTI
 F  COS DESIGNATOPRINCIPIBVS  IVVENTVTIS
Note the actual peg-holes above, and a
reconstruction of the letters below.
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Detail of the temple Look at the lion snouts,
and the acanthus pattern in the frieze and the
Corinthian columns
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Detail of one Corinthian column
Note one of the coffers on the ceiling of the
porch
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This view shows one of the antae of the
temple.A priest could stand on this promontory
and speak to the people assembled outside.The
height of the woman standing outside gives us an
idea of the height of the podium (2.88m) on which
the temple stands today.
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The front of the temple
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Entrance doors of the temple
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The temple again...
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... and again
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Goodnight, Maison Carrée!