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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Roman thermal baths of Cimiez, integrated into the ancient city of Cemenelum, are located in the current residential area of Cimiez in Nice. Their progressive discovery began in the 16th century with surveys by Florentine architect San Gallo, but it was in the 19th century that François Brun identified the thermal baths of the East. Systematic excavations, carried out between 1954 and 1970 by Fernand Benoit and Danielle Mouchot, revealed three thermal complexes (North, East, West) on two hectares. These ensembles, dated between the first and third centuries, follow a similar architectural organization, with rooms aligned according to a common axis: changing rooms, palestre, frigidarium, and heated rooms (tepidarium, caldarium, laconicum).

The site has always preserved visible remains, such as the Frigidarium of the North Baths, long confused with a "Apollon Temple". The materials used – Opus mixtum, marble, Biot's cineritis – and the hydraulic systems (Falicon and Mourail, sewers) illustrate Roman know-how. The best preserved thermal baths in the North include a peristyle swimming pool and latrines, while those in the East have a swimming pool with nymphs. In the west, the state of conservation is altered by the construction of an episcopal group in the fifth century, reusing Roman elements such as the columns for the Baptistery.

Ranked as a historic monument from 1943 (Terres) and 1947 (Northern thermal baths under the erroneous name of "Apollon Temple"), the thermal baths were subject to successive protections, including a decree in 1958 for the surrounding plots. Recent excavations, such as those led in 2004 by Monique Jannet-Vallat, continue to enrich the knowledge of Cemenelum, although only a tiny part of the ancient city has been explored. The site, a private property, remains a major testimony of the romanization in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.

The organization of the thermal baths reflects a Roman standardization: aligned axes, logically chained parts, and local materials (marble, bricks, cineritis). The glass windows, attested by glass fragments, and the heating systems (praefurnium) highlight their functionality. The re-use of materials in the fifth century, notably by Saint Valerian for the episcopal group, marked the transition to the Paleo-Christian era. Today, the thermal baths of Cimiez, associated with the nearby archaeological museum, offer a unique overview of daily life and seaside practices in the Roman Gaul.

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