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Origin and history

The arch of Diane is the main vestige of the Roman thermal baths of Divona Cadurcorum, Gallo-Roman city that became Cahors (Lot, Occitanie). Contrary to its name, it is neither a triumphal arc nor a temple dedicated to Diane, but an internal structure to the thermal baths, built under the Roman High Empire. These baths, located at the highest point of the ancient city (139 m above sea level), occupied an estimated area of 3,000 m2, although their complete plan could not be reconstructed. Their abandonment, after the fourth century, could be linked to the rupture of the aqueduct feeding them, 16 km long.

The 1950s excavations, triggered by the construction of a school on the grip of the former convent of the Clarisses, revealed foundations and walls of the thermal baths. These remains, partially located under Avenue Freycinet and the Jean-Calvet school group, were classified as historical monuments in 1955. Diane's arch, the only ancient vestige visible in elevation in Quercy, marks the separation between the frigidarium (cold room) and a swimming pool, in a complex also including a tepidarium and a caldarium. Its construction in opus mixtum (bricks and limestone bellows) probably dates from the late 1st or early 2nd century.

The thermal baths, built in sandstone, limestone and bricks, reflect a single major phase of construction, with subsequent changes. Their decommissioning has led to the re-use of materials: abrased walls, recovered soils, and rooms potentially transformed into habitats. Five mosaic fragments, one of which may belong to the thermal baths, as well as the marble and limestone coatings of Prayssac, testify to their decorative richness. The arch, classified in 1886, today symbolizes Cahors' Roman heritage.

The location of the thermal baths, between two cardinals (north-south roads) of the ancient city, including the cardus maximus, highlights their urban integration. Their water supply, via an aqueduct taking its source near the Murcens oppidum, illustrates Roman engineering. Archaeological remains, protected since 1955, also include mosaics and parts of thermal rooms not covered by modern buildings. The palester, located in the south, completed this set dedicated to public baths.

The history of the thermal baths remains partly enigmatic: their exact chronology and the reasons for their abandonment are not established with certainty. Assumptions suggest a de-assignment due to socio-economic changes or deterioration of infrastructure, such as aqueduct. Today, Diane's Arch, owned by the municipality, is accessible from Freycinet Avenue, offering a rare architectural testimony of daily life in the Roman Quercy.

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