Maison-Carrée

Maison-Carrée, Nîmes, France, c. 12 bce.

Maison-Carrée, Roman temple at Nîmes, France, in remarkably good repair. According to an inscription, it was dedicated to Lucius and Gaius Caesar, adopted sons of Augustus; it was probably built before the death of Marcus Agrippa, Augustus’s friend and the boys’ father, about 12 bc. The Maison-Carrée, 82 feet (25 metres) long by 40 feet (12 metres) wide and in the Corinthian order, is one of the most beautiful monuments built in Gaul by the Romans. It houses a collection of Roman sculpture and Classical fragments.