1. THE MAISON CARREE

2. Nimes

3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkFlwAp3ygg 10 minutes about Nimes.

4. THE MAISON CARREE Is situated in the French town of Nimes.
Name means ‘squared house’ (but the house isn’t actually square!)
Built in the early years of the first century CE.
The temple was built by Marcus Agrippa.
The temple originally sat in the middle of a 2000m2 sanctuary.

5. Originally there was a gilded bronze inscription on the frieze over the entrance porch. The inscription read: “To Gaius Caesar, son of Augustus, consul, to Lucias Caesar, son of Augustus, consul designate/Leaders of the Youth”.

6. The design of the temple shows the Hellenised Italic tradition of temple architecture.
ETRUSCAN TEMPLES
cella fronted by a deep porch.
strong frontal aspect to the temple.
raised on a high podium.
GREEK TEMPLES
use of stone (local limestone).
style of columns and mouldings.

7. The front of temple has 6 columns.
Two more free-standing columns along the east and west sides in a second and third row.
The columns are:
Corinthian,
fluted,
tall and slender.

8. What is pseudo-peripertal?
= the appearance that there is a portico along the sides.
The east and west
sides are surrounded
by a colonnade of
engaged columns
which encircle the
cult room (cella).

9. The pediment was left bare.
The entablature consists of an architrave and a frieze which is decorated with an acanthus scroll design on all but the north side.
The ceiling under the porch has coffers for decoration.
There is a deep entrance porch.
The temple is entered via a broad 15 steps staircase.
The podium is 2.88m high

10. Ceiling under the porch

12. AND THE INSIDE … ?
The interior is now modern. We can use the temple layout to assume what it looked like.

15. Pollution damage

16. Rear and side views