Timeline

Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Palace of the Mirror in Saint-Romain-en-Gal is a vestige of the Roman baths of the ancient city of Vienna Allobrogum, located on the right bank of the Rhone. This monument is part of a vast thermal complex, including the thermal baths of the Wrestlers, and is located south of the archaeological site, near the ancient oriental path. Its name evokes its remarkable state of conservation, reflecting Roman architecture.

Ranked in 1840 on the first list of historical monuments by Prosper Mérimée, the site delivered around 1827-1828 an emblematic statue: the Venus of Vienna, representing a nude woman crouched, probably linked to a thermal context. This vestige illustrates the importance of public baths in Gallo-Roman social and cultural life.

The Mirror Palace now belongs to various owners (private, department, commune) and remains a major testimony of ancient urban planning. Its initial classification was completed in 1994 to protect the surrounding monumental complex, including adjacent archaeological plots. Sources such as Monumentum and archaeological studies (e.g. Records of Archaeology, 1907) document its history.

The site is part of a wider network of Roman baths in Gaul, highlighting Vienna's central role as a prosperous city. Its location near the Rhône made it a strategic place, both for exchanges and for Roman hygiene and social practices.

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