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Origin and history

The thermal baths of Constantine, also called the thermal baths of the North, were built at the beginning of the fourth century in Arles, while Emperor Constantine resided in the ancient city of Arelate. These public baths, located on the banks of the Rhone, illustrate the importance of thermal infrastructures in Roman cities. In medieval times, they were nicknamed "Palais de la Trouille", an erroneous name wrongly associating them with an imperial palace. Their original vocation was not rediscovered until the 19th century, during the first archaeological excavations.

The current remains, classified as historical monuments as early as 1840 (with a complement in 1922 for the Roman wall and adjacent cellars), mainly reveal the caldarium: a warm room equipped with three basins (solia), including a semicircular swimming pool vaulted in cul-de-four. This complex communicated with a laconicum (dry oven) and a tepidarium (luke bath), partially preserved. The other parts of the thermal baths, located further south, remain buried for lack of extensive excavations. Between 1980 and 1995, a restoration campaign was carried out after the acquisition of the site by the city of Arles.

Among the Roman baths of France, those of Constantine are distinguished by their remarkable state of conservation, alongside the sites of Chassenon (Charente) and Cluny (Paris). Their typical architecture — hypocaustes, apses, and arches — testifies to Roman expertise in thermal engineering and urban comfort. Archaeological sources, such as the reports of Frédéric Raynaud (2007), continue to shed light on their history, while modern tools (virtual visits) now facilitate their access to the public.

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