Timeline

Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Cahors amphitheatre, built in the Gallo-Roman city of Divona Cadurcorum (now Cahors, Lot), probably dates from the second half of the first century, during the Flavian dynasty. This 120 × 90-metre monument, integrated into the urban heart near the forum and circular temple, is a rarity outside the Narbonnaise Gaul. Its location exploits the natural slope towards the Lot, reducing the masonry work for the cellara (gradins). Abandoned at the end of the fourth century, it became a wasteland, then a place of burials and recovery of materials.

The rediscovery of the amphitheatre in 2003 is fortuitous: excavations for an underground parking lot reveal 50 meters of its exterior wall, under the Aisles Fénelon. The remains, studied during preventive excavations in 2007, show a massive structure with radiant walls, filled caissons, and exterior staircases similar to those of Pompeii. An archaeological crypt, open to the public, exhibits these remains since their classification at the Historical Monuments in 2019 (replacing a partial inscription in 2009).

The excavations revealed construction workshops (lime furnaces, forges) in front of the amphitheatre, linked to its construction site. Its unlocalized arena and capacity remain unknown. The masonries, made of small limestone and sandstone from Figeac (70 km away), illustrate various techniques depending on the visibility of the parts. The building symbolizes the Roman urbanization of Divona, the capital of the Cadurcas, which also has a theatre, thermal baths and a sanctuary.

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