Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

Limoges Amphitheatre, also known as arenas, was built in the second century in the Gallo-Roman city of Augustortum (now Limoges), probably under the Antonine dynasty. Measuring 137 × 116 m, it is one of the largest in Roman Gaul, with an estimated capacity between 20,000 and 25,000 spectators. Its strategic location, to the northwest of the ancient city and near the Roman roads (including Via Agrippa), reflects a desire for monumentalization, supplemented by the presence of a theatre at the other end of the cardus maximus. Local materials (gnesis, granite) and the absence of architectural terracotta distinguish its construction.

From the early Middle Ages, the amphitheatre was abandoned and 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 damaged in the 16th century. In the 17th century, intendant Boucher d'Orsay had the site leveled and filled to create the Orsay Garden, burying most of the remains. Rediscovered in 1966, they were classified as historical monuments in 1968 and then again buried in 1998 for their conservation.

Of elliptical shape, the amphitheatre had two levels of 64 arcades on the facade, perhaps surmounted by an attic. Access to the stands (wood or stone, now missing) was via 14 entrances on the ground floor and stairs leading to the upper galleries. Excavations revealed pillars that are 2 m high, while the arena is 5.30 m below the current level of the garden. No trace of the stands was found, allowing two hypotheses to hover: a destroyed wooden structure or stones reused elsewhere.

Augustoritum, the capital of the Civitas des Lémovives, was a prosperous city on a north-south commercial axis. The amphitheatre, symbol of Romanization, was part of a monumental ensemble including forum, thermal baths and bridge over Vienna. Its decline coincides with the fall of the Roman Empire, marking the end of its initial use. The present, though limited, remains testify to its past importance in the social and cultural life of the Roman Gaul.

External links