The Ancient Roman Theatre of Orange

An extraordinary testament to the glory of the Roman Empire, the Ancient Roman Theatre of Orange, listed as a world heritage site by UNESCO, is the most well preserved Roman theatre in all of Europe.

Built under the reign of Emperor Augustus in the 1st century AD, it was the first of its kind in France. Still today, visitors will be struck by the grandeur of its imposing façade, or postcænum.

103 metres long, 1,80 metres thick and 37 metres high, King Louis XIV called it "the most beautiful wall in my entire kingdom". Relatively austere, the upper part of the wall presents rows of corbels. In the middle, the façade has no ornamentation. On the street level, there are three doors in the wall separated by arches: the royal door and the guests' door, all three leading directly onto the stage.

Conceived with the idea of spreading Roman culture and of keeping the population's mind off any ideas of political unrest, the theatre's interior, the cavea, could accommodate up to 9,000 spectators, seated according to their social status. Just above the half-moon shaped orchestra pit, the first rows of seats were reserved for the Equites, or knights. Merchants and Roman citizens took their seats in the middle rows. The highest (and most vertiginous) rows of seats were left to the prostitutes and slaves.

It is perhaps the stage itself that is the most extraordinary part of the theatre. It stretches over 61 metres, one metre high off the ground. Behind it, the stage wall, or scaenae frons, rises up 37 metres, still at its original height. Unlike the rest of the theatre, the wall is quite elaborate, with columns, friezes and niches that were once adorned with colourful marble mosaics and statues. The centre niche still holds a 3.5 metre high statue representing Augustus but which is believed to be the restoration of a statue of Apollo, the god of arts and music.

This wall is of great importance to the theatre: it projects a sound of unmatched quality and purity.