This Roman temple, two thousand years old and perfectly preserved, has obtained the recognition hoped for for years in the former Roman colony in the south of France.
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It is the 51st French property included on the prestigious list. The Maison Carrée of Nîmes, a Roman temple built at the beginning of our era, was listed as a UNESCO world heritage site on Monday September 18. According to the town hall, this registration will “generate an increase in tourist numbers” and will be a “real growth lever for the city”with some “significant economic benefits”.
“We will be worthy of this decision”assured the mayor of Nîmes, Jean-Paul Fournier, overwhelmed by emotion and in tears. “The Maison Carrée, dear to the inhabitants of Nîmes and the citizens of the French Republic, is now a common good of all the United Nations”he welcomed from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where representatives of the member states of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization were gathered.
Nîmes had missed the boat of recognition by UNESCO around forty years ago, unlike the Pont du Gard aqueduct or its neighbor Arles, which also has a Roman amphitheater as well as thermal baths and a theater antique. A new file was presented in 2018. A former Roman colony which reached its peak under Augustus, the first emperor of Rome, Nîmes was an important commercial and cultural crossroads. It retains imposing ancient buildings, including arenas where shows and concerts take place.