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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Roman wall of Orange, built at the beginning of the Upper Empire under Augustus (late 1st century BC), was one of the 18 urban enclosures erected in Roman Gaul. With a military and symbolic vocation, it quickly lost its defensive use: from the time of Vespasian (I century), private plots encroached on its walls, and a tower was converted into a dwelling. Its exact course remains uncertain, especially in the north, where massive destruction took place between 1620 and 1623 under Maurice de Nassau to build a modern fortification.

The better documented southern part reveals a monumental gate on the Roquemaure road, discovered in 1930 by Jules Formigé. This door, 4.70 m wide and flanked by two round towers 9 m in diameter, was accompanied by pedestrian crossings. The excavations showed that its foundations later served as a medieval tower, ensuring its conservation. Other fragments, such as those in the communal cemetery, confirm the use of ancient materials in later constructions.

Ranked a historic monument in 1935 and 1938, the rampart illustrates the urban evolution of Orange, where the Roman enclosure, initially ostentatious, becomes a reservoir of stones for the following periods. The 17th and 18th century artistic representations (like those of Jacques de La Pisa in 1627 and 1639) offer partial views, but their reliability is limited. Today, only 3.5 km of wall over the original 7 km are hypothetically localizable, mainly in the southern part.

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