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Mausoleum of Glanum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence dans les Bouches-du-Rhône

Patrimoine classé
Vestiges Gallo-romain
Mausolée
Bouches-du-Rhône

Mausoleum of Glanum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence

    Route de Maussane
    13210 Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Ownership of the municipality
Mausolée de Glanum à Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Mausolée de Glanum à Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Mausolée de Glanum à Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Mausolée de Glanum à Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Mausolée de Glanum à Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Mausolée de Glanum à Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Mausolée de Glanum à Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Mausolée de Glanum à Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Mausolée de Glanum à Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Mausolée de Glanum à Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Mausolée de Glanum à Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Mausolée de Glanum à Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Mausolée de Glanum à Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Mausolée de Glanum à Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Mausolée de Glanum à Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Mausolée de Glanum à Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Mausolée de Glanum à Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Mausolée de Glanum à Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Mausolée de Glanum à Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Mausolée de Glanum à Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Mausolée de Glanum à Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Mausolée de Glanum à Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Mausolée de Glanum à Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Mausolée de Glanum à Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Mausolée de Glanum à Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Mausolée de Glanum à Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Mausolée de Glanum à Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Mausolée de Glanum à Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Mausolée de Glanum à Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Mausolée de Glanum à Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Mausolée de Glanum à Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Mausolée de Glanum à Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Mausolée de Glanum à Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Mausolée de Glanum à Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Mausolée de Glanum à Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Mausolée de Glanum à Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Mausolée de Glanum à Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Mausolée de Glanum à Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Mausolée de Glanum à Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Mausolée de Glanum à Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Mausolée de Glanum à Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Mausolée de Glanum à Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Mausolée de Glanum à Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Mausolée de Glanum à Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Mausolée de Glanum à Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Mausolée de Glanum à Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Mausolée de Glanum à Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Mausolée de Glanum à Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Mausolée de Glanum à Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Mausolée de Glanum à Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Crédit photo : tpholland - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Âge du Fer
Antiquité
Haut Moyen Âge
Moyen Âge central
Bas Moyen Âge
Renaissance
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
0
1800
1900
2000
-30 à -20 av. J.-C.
Construction of mausoleum
1840
Historical Monument
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

Mausoleum dit Tombeau des Jules : classification par liste de 1840

Key figures

Sextus, Marcus et Lucius Julius - Monument dedications Son of Caius Julius, sponsors
Caius Julius - Ancestor of the deceased Obtaining Roman military citizenship
Jules César - Possible grant of citizenship Related to the name of the deceased
Auguste - Roman Emperor quoted Alternative to Caesar for granting
Henri Rolland - History Propose a dedication to Caius and Lucius Caesar

Origin and history

Glanum Mausoleum, located south of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, is a Gallo-Roman monument erected between -30 and -20 BC. Considered a cenotaph, he probably honors members of the Julii family, Gauls having obtained Roman citizenship for services rendered to Julius Caesar or Augustus. Its exceptional state of conservation reveals a complex structure in three floors: a cubic base carved of mythological and historical scenes, an intermediate level in tetrapyle (four arcades), and a summital round temple housing the statues of the deceased in toge, symbol of their Roman status.

The lower part, without a funeral chamber, carries bas-reliefs illustrating mythical battles (Grecs vs Amazones, hunting the boar of Calydon) and a scene interpreted as granting Roman citizenship to an ancestor of the deceased, rewarded for a military feat. These representations glorify the warrior virtues and social ascent of the family. The intermediate frieze, decorated with marine creatures and a solar disk, marks the transition between the earthly world of fighting and the heavenly world, evoked by the summital tholos (round temple).

The monument bears an inscription dedicated by Sextus, Marcus and Lucius, son of Caius Julius, to their parents. Their nomen Julius indicates a Gaulish origin, their ancestor having adopted this name after serving in the Roman army, probably under Caesar or Augustus. Ranked among the historical monuments in 1840, the mausoleum forms with the nearby Arc the "Antiques de Saint-Rémy-de-Provence", major testimonies of the Romanization in Galle Narbonnaise.

Henri Rolland proposes an alternative interpretation: the mausoleum could commemorate Caius and Lucius Caesar, grandsons of Emperor Augustus, although this hypothesis remains debated. The architectural form, rare in Gaul, is inspired by Italian and African models, with a height of 16 meters and an allegorical decoration linking military exploits, mythology and integration with the Empire. The togati (toge statuses) of the summit embody the culmination of this journey, emphasizing the prestige conferred by Roman citizenship.

The site, located near the ruins of Glanum, illustrates Gallo-Roman cultural syncretism. The carved scenes combine Greek narratives (war of Troy, Patrocle) and Roman symbols (solar disc, ocean), reflecting the assimilation of local elites. The east side of the base, the only non-mythological representation, shows a rider protected by a central shield — perhaps the deceased — and his family receiving an official document, sealing their new Roman identity.

External links