The Maison Carrée in Nimes, France is a well-preserved Roman temple built from 18-16 BC. It was constructed out of limestone in the Corinthian order style and measures 31.8m x 15m. Originally dedicated to Augustus' grandsons, it has since served various purposes including a church. Notable features include engaged Corinthian columns, a deep porch, and a hexastyle colonnade. It remains the only completely intact ancient Roman temple.

1. Maison Carrée
Presented by: Ghinwa Abdelrazzak

3. • Date: 18-16BC
• Means ‘Square House’ in French
• Location: Nimes, South of France
• Length: 31.8m
• Width: 15m
• Materials: Limestone
• Built by: Marcus Agrippa (Augustus’
son-in-law)
• Where: On the entablature
• Dedication: To Augustus’ grandsons -
Gaius and Lucius (adopted sons of
Augustus)
• Interesting fact: The temple owes its
preservation to the fact that it was
rededicated as a Christian church in
the fourth century, saving it from the
widespread destruction of temples
that followed the adoption of
Christianity as Rome's official state
religion.

4. It has then served as a consular house, stables, apartments, and
even as a church. After the French Revolution, it became the
headquarters for the first prefecture of the Gard Region and then
transformed in a department archive. It then became a museum
in 1823.

5. -The frontal temple is a classic example of the Tuscan style temple. This means that
the building has a single cella (cult room), a deep porch, a frontal, axial orientation,
and sits atop a high podium. The podium of the Maison Carrée rises to a height of
2.85 meters; the footprint of the temple measures 26.42 by 13.54 meters at the
base.
-The building is executed in the Corinthian order (easily identified by the acanthus
leaf motifs on the capital) and is hexastyle in its plan (meaning it has six columns
across the façade); twenty engaged columns line the flanks, yielding a
pseudoperipteral arrangement (the front columns are free-standing but the
columns on the sides and back are engaged, that is, attached to the wall).

6. The temple has a very deep pronaos (porch). The superstructure is
decorated with egg-and-dart motifs, with the architrave divided
into three zones. The deep porch which puts an emphasis on the
temple front and the pseudoperipteral arrangement clearly
differentiate this from an ancient Greek temple.

7. -The architecture of the temple is inspired by the temples of Appolo and
Mars Ultor in Rome. The Maison Carree is an example of Vitruvian
architecture Even though the French name means "square house" the
Maison Carree is actually rectangular, (80 feet long by 40 feet wide). The
Maison Carree is the only ancient temple to be completely preserved.
Built of limestone by architects from Rome, the edifice is elevated on a tall
podium nearly 10 feet high and on the side of you; a flight of stairs leading
to the west end .

8. Hexastyle
colonnade
Cella
Deep
porch
Pseudo-
peripteral
colonnade
PLAN VIEW

9. Greek and Roman Influences
Frontal orientation to
temple - Roman feature.
(Compare Greek Parthenon
left and Roman Pantheon
right)
Engaged Corinthian columns
surrounding the cella -
‘Pseudo-Peripteral’ - Greek
feature.
Large flight of stairs to
high podium - Roman
feature
Deep porch in front of
the cella - Roman
feature.
Corinthian Columns -
Greek feature
Hexastyle porch – Greek
Feature

10. EXTERIOR FEATURES
Engaged
Columns
Podium /
Stylobate
Pediment
Fluted
Columns
Corinthian
Capitals
Entablature
Frieze

11. Exterior Decoration – The Entablature
Fluted (grooved) columns
Corinthian Capitals (acanthus leaves)
Architrave - directly above columns
Frieze - with foliage and acanthus leaves
Cornice - top section of entablature.

12. -The Maison Carree is the only ancient temple to be completely
preserved
-Until the 19th century, it formed part of a larger complex of
adjoining buildings. These were demolished when the Maison
Carree housed what is now the Musee des Beaux- Arts- de Nimes
-The building has gone under extensive restoration over the
centuries.

13. -Inside the maison carree houses a
collection of roman sculptures and
classical fragments
-One fun thing to do in the Maison
Carree is to show the multimedia show
"Heroes of Nimes", taking you back to
the city's heroic past by means of the
latest technologies. Wearing special
glasses and seated in the front of the
giant paronamic screen, you are plunged
into the daily life of an inhabitant of
Nimes during the contemporary festivals.