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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Nîmes Municipal Theatre, also known as the Grand Théâtre, was designed at the end of the 18th century by the Parisian architect Meunier. Inaugurated in 1803 in front of Maison Carrée, it was enlarged in 1827 with the addition of an ionic colonnade, then in 1837. Its neoclassical style, marked by a portal of ten columns decorated with the word Theatre, evoked ancient architecture. The interior decoration was entrusted to the painter Lesueur in 1830, while Chevillon made ornamentation in 1840.

In 1860, a first fire near the decorations was controlled without major damage. Ranked a historic monument in 1949, the theatre was ravaged in 1952 by a criminal arson perpetrated by Eva Closet, a singer seeking revenge for the dismissal of choirs led by her son-in-law, José Faès. Only the portico survived, dismantled and then resettled in the 1980s on the resting area of Caissargues, between Nîmes and Arles.

The building, rectangular with a circular room and two main stairs, also housed a fireplace above the vestibule. After its destruction, it was replaced by the Square of Art, the present major cultural place of Nîmes. The colonnade, a protected element since 1949, now retains a purely ornamental function on its current site.

The theatre illustrated the cultural importance of Nîmes in the 19th century, a city marked by its Roman heritage and a prestigious bourgeoisie. Its disappearance also symbolizes the vulnerability of monuments to historical hazards, despite their official protection.

Future

The ten carved stone columns supporting the entanglement with the word Theatre evoke ancient architecture. After the fire, they remained in place until the 1980s. They were subsequently transferred to the resting area of Caissargues (highway A54), between Nîmes and Arles, where they currently have an ornamental function.

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