There are two good reasons to visit the town of Orange when in the region of Provence. The first is to see the beautiful triumphal arch from the reign of Augustus, and the second is to visit one of the best preserved theatres from the Roman Empire.
The Triumphal Arch
Located just outside the boundaries of the ancient town of Orange, the triumphal arch was built between 10 and 25 CE. Decorated with reliefs of various military themes, commemorating the establishment of the Pax Romana, this Roman arch is one of the most interesting and beautiful surviving examples of a provincial triumphal arch from the reign of Emperor Augustus.
The monument is made up of three arches with the main façades pointing to the north and south, while the smaller lateral facades face east and west. All are decorated with four fluted columns. This stunning monument stands 19.5 metres long, 8.4 metres wide and 19.2 metres high.
In the Middle Ages, the arch was expanded into a military fortress.
The Ancient Theatre of Orange
The Romans colonized this region of France in 35 BCE, building this remarkable theatre in the early part of the first century CE. Designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1981, the ancient theatre of Orange is one of the best preserved of all the great Roman theatres.
The size of this semi-circular theatre is impressive with its tiered seats built into the slope of Saint-Eutrope hillside. The theatre is capable of seating over 7,000 people, who either entered by passageways on either side of the orchestra or by exterior staircases to reach the upper rows.
The original stage wall, 106m (350 ft) long, 36m (120ft) high, is the only one to have survived so well in all of Europe. Two others still exist, one in Bosra, Syria and in Aspendos, Turkey. The façade of the stage wall is made up of niches, colonnades and statues, which serve not only the purpose of being decorative, but creating perfect acoustic as well.
The theatre had only one stage, consisting of a huge platform which actors accessed from the side via two broad openings on ground level and from the front via three raised doorways.
The centre niche in the stage wall houses a colossal statue (3.50 m high) of Augustus, clad in the armour of Roman Emperors, dating from the 2nd century.
Outside the theatre, the foundations of a sanctuary have been excavated and archaeologists now believe the theatre in Orange was not simply a provincial theatre, but a backdrop to imperial festivities that combined rites of the performing arts with those of the official religion. Unlike today, the principal monument in Roman times was the sanctuary, which would have been dedicated to the cult of the emperor.
Theatre in Roman Antiquity
Unfortunately, there is less known about the performances that took place on the stage, than the actual theatre itself, and while no documents testify to specific plays presented here, inscriptions left behind reveal the names of some of the troupes and actors working in the Rhone valley region at the time.
In all likelihood, the performances given the most frequently were pantomimes and mime shows. Pantomimes would have been performed by silent solo dancers wearing masks with closed mouths and mime shows were farces that parodied everyday domestic life as well as politics and mythology.
The theatre in Orange would have fallen into disuse with the decline of the Roman Empire in the late 4th century and the rise in Christianity, the church having opposed theatre. The theatre remains in use today, performing mostly operas and contemporary dramas.
Having survived the attack on the city by the Visigoths in 412 and the Middle Ages, when both monuments acted as defensive posts, the theatre and the arch stand proudly today as two of the best-preserved of their kind from antiquity.
Sources:
- The Ancient Theatre of Orange by Conaissance des Arts
- UNESCO Online
Want to Read another Article on Travel in France? See
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
