Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Limoges arenas, also called Augustoritum amphitheatre, were built in the second century under the Antonine dynasty, probably between the reign of Hadrian and that of Antonin the Pious. This 137 × 116 m elliptical monument, able to accommodate 20,000 to 25,000 spectators, stood north-west of the Gallo-Roman city, near the tracks linking Lyon to Saintes and Limoges to Poitiers. Its location, on a height overlooking Vienna, and its proximity to the theatre underline a desire for urban monumentalization.

From the early Middle Ages, the already abandoned amphitheatre served as a career for building houses and churches, such as the Basilica of the Saviour of Saint Martial Abbey. The ruins, which became dens of robbers, were partially destroyed in the 16th century. In the 18th century, intendant Boucher d'Orsay had the site leveled to create the garden of Orsay, burying the remains under several metres of land. Rediscovered in 1966, they were classified as historical monuments in 1968 and then re-enveloped in 1998 for preservation.

Of a hollow structure similar to the Nîmes amphitheatre, the monument had two levels of 64 facade arcades, surrounded by mullons of migmatite, gneiss or granite. No trace of the stands was found, suggesting wooden or re-used stone seats. The current remains, partially exhumed (2 m high) are 5.30 m below the garden. The arena measured 64 × 48 m, and 14 entrances gave access to the lower levels of the cellara.

Augustoritum, the capital of the Civitas des Lemovices, was a prosperous city on a north-south commercial axis, with major monuments (bridge, thermal baths, forum). The amphitheatre, symbol of Romanization, illustrates the importance of the city in the Roman Gaul. Its decline began with the fall of the Empire, marking the beginning of its dismantling for local uses, before its progressive oblivion until modern excavations.

External links