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Origin and history

The theatre of Jublains, located in the present municipality of Jublains (Mayenne, Pays de la Loire), was built between 81 and 83 during the reign of Emperor Domitian. Offered to the city by a rich merchant named Orgétorix, it illustrates the evergetism of a Gaulish elite on the verge of Roman cultural assimilation. Its architecture, initially of almost circular plan, was enlarged in the second century under Hadrian to adopt a more classical half circle, without ever hosting fawn fighting.

The monument, identified in the 19th century and searched several times (1843, 1865, 1926-1928), was not fully cleared until the 1980s. Using a natural slope, its wooden stands and stone structures reflect Gallo-Roman construction techniques. Fragments of decorations, such as the "masks pillar" found in re-use in the nearby castellam, suggest theatrical ornamentation, although few elements remain.

Integrated into contemporary cultural life, the theatre now hosts concerts, plays and cinematic screenings, perpetuating its original vocation. Its remarkable state of conservation, coupled with that of the other remains of Noviodunum (forum, thermal baths, castellam), makes it a major archaeological site in western France, classified as a historical monument since 1917.

The city of Noviodunum, whose theatre is a central element, was founded under Augustus as the capital of the Diblintes, a Romanized Celtic people. Its decline began in the third century, with the loss of its political status in favour of Le Mans. The theatre, like other monuments, was partially reoccupied in the Merovingian era, before being rediscovered by modern archaeologists.

The excavations of the 19th and 20th centuries, carried out by figures like Augustin Magdelaine or Henri Barbe, allowed to restore his history. Recent research (1980-1990s) has confirmed its role in local Romanization, as well as its gradual abandonment from the fourth century, linked to the strategic decline of the city.

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