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NIMES
Nīmes is the capital of the département of Gard. It
is located south-southwest of Lyon, at the foot of some
barren hills called the Monts Garrigues to the north and west of the city. It
is stands upon a vine-planted plain. Nimes probably has the largest
visible evidence of the Romans who annexed this part of France, and lies on the
via Domitia, the Roman road between Spain and Italy.
Nimes is another town famous
for its bullfighting, and the ferias of Pentecost and September are some of the
biggest in France, and appropriately, still held in the old Roman amphitheatre,
holding up to 20,000 spectators. Bulls have been raised on the nearby Camargue
for centuries and the art of Tauromachie - bull handling, has been practised in
Nimes throughout this time.
Nīmes was named
after Nemausus, the genie of a sacred fountain. In 121 BC Nīmes, the capital of
a Gaulish tribe, was annexed to Rome. The emperor Augustus founded a new city
there, giving it privileges that allowed it to rapidly prosper. During its
Roman period, the town became one of the richest in Gaul.
In the 5th century,
Nīmes was plundered by the Germanic Vandals. Later, it was occupied by the
Saracens who were driven out in 737. The town passed to the counts of Toulouse
in the 10th century. In 1229 it became a possession of the French crown.
During the
Reformation, Nīmes had become largely Protestant. In 1598, the
Edict of Nantes conferred
upon French Protestants a certain amount of religious freedom. After the Edict
was revoked, in 1685, the city suffered from persecution.
Nīmes was damaged
during the fighting between royalists and
Bonapartists in1815.
Subsequently, with the coming of the railways in the later 19th century, Nīmes
became prosperous.
Nīmes is known for
its numerous Roman remains, most of which are in an excellent state of
preservation. Its vast amphitheatre was probably built in the 1st century AD.
It is elliptical, measuring 440 by 330 feet and 69 feet high and built of large
stones from a nearby quarry, put together without mortar. It probably sat
24,000 spectators. Its exterior has a double row of 60 arches surmounted by an
attic. It was originally constructed for gladiatorial shows, and chariot
races. In the 5th century, the amphitheatre was used as a fortress by the
Visigoths. In the Middle Ages, houses, and even a church, were built inside
it. In 1809 it was cleared of buildings and is now used for bloodless
bullfights. It is one of the best preserved Roman amphitheatres in existence.
The famous
Maison Carrée was built in a Greek style during the 1st century AD as a
temple. It is a rectangular structure measuring 82 feet long by 40 feet wide.
It now houses a museum of Roman sculpture.
 It
was originally dedicated to Gaius and Lucius Caesar, the adopted sons of the
first Roman emperor Augustus. It is one of the most beautiful monuments built
by the Romans in Gaul, and certainly the best preserved. Not unlike the
amphitheatre, the building has been used, over the years, as a stable, a church,
a town hall and a stable.
It now houses a collection of
Roman sculptures.
The Tour Magne
is a tower which, was probably, built in the 1st century BC. It is perched
atop a hill, just outside the city, and is the towns oldest Roman building. It
is 92 ft high, but probably originally higher. Its original function is not
known, but it was incorporated into the Roman wall in 16 BC.
Not far from the
Tour Magne is a reservoir that was the source for the water carried by the great
Pont du Gard Roman aqueduct. Its water was distributed throughout the town.
Located on the edge of the city is Jardin de la Fontaine, which was designed in
1745. The fountain, and the canals that flow through it, are partly Roman.
Subsequent to 1960,
the city's population grew considerably. The growth was the result of both
rural immigration and the repatriation of French settlers from North Africa
following the Algerian war.
The traditional
manufacture of textiles and clothing still flourishes. Denim, a heavy, coarse
cotton cloth with a diagonal weave was first made in Nīmes.
In 1870 a Bavarian immigrant to
the USA passed through Nimes and discovered the heavy cotton sailcloth that was
used to make sails as well as workmens trousers. Levi Straus used this 'serge de
Nimes' (or Denim ) to make hard wearing trousers for the men, moving west in the
USA. The cloth was actualy made in the Italian city of Genoa with the corruption
of its name to the modern 'jeans'.
Until recent years, Nimes has been overshadowed somewhat by nearby Montpellier
and Avignon but since the mid 1980s it has embarked on a huge programme of urban
renewal, that from a distance has turned Nimes into what appears to be a modern
high rise town. The centre of Nimes is a lively and cosmopolitan town.
Pont du Gard
Pont du Gard,
Remoulins.
A short drive from Nimes, is
the Pont du Gard, an aquaduct composed of three levels of arches, 49 meters high
and 275 meters long. Built by the Romans during the 19th century B.C. to bring
water 30 miles from the Cevennes mountains, to the town of Nimes, it remains in
good condition, and is one of the most visited of the Roman sites. Set in a
beautiful landscape it has been somewhat spoilt by the building of a modern
visitor centre. |
