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Maison Carrée

Nîmes, 2026

Today's Flickr photo with the most hits- the rear elevation of Maison Carree in Nimes. Built at the start of the 1st C CE, it was originally a Temple dedicated to Gaius and Lucius Caesar - adopted heirs of Augustus.

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Inside the Maison Carree, Nimes

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Place de la Maison Carrée

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Temple of Saturn, Roman Forum, 498 BCE

Located in the Roman Forum, Saturn quickly became one of the most important gods to the Romans, given his connection to agriculture, and Rome’s dependence on agriculture for income. Because of its importance, it was also used as the repository for the State Treasury.

The temple was restored in 42 BCE, and rebuilt between 360 - 380 CE after it was burned down. The rebuilding during this time explains the very Greek aspects of the temple’s architecture. The eight remaining columns are unmistakably Ionic in style.

The temple sat on a monumental podium, something that can be seen even today. This makes sense, given the god the temple was dedicated to and its location in the Roman Forum. The below image shows a reconstruction of what the temple might have looked like following its reconstruction. The engaged columns circling the temple can be seen, an adaptation of the Greek peristyle.

Additionally, the large staircase leading up to the temple porch is another very Roman aspect. Roman temples were meant to be approached from the front, with the staircase inviting people into the temple. This is better illustrated in the below image.

While these images are only reconstructions, they can be backed up by other Roman temples around the ancient world, such as the Maison Carrée (below). The Maison shares those Greek adaptations characteristic of later imperial Rome, including the engaged columns, as well as the Roman aspects of the forward-facing staircase and attraction to the temple from a frontal view.

Bibliography:

Woodford, Susan. The Art of Greece and Rome. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2004

All images found on Artstor

“Temple of Saturn,” University of Chicago, accessed December 1, 2016 http://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/romanforum/saturn.html.