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The Arch of Campanus is an
, by Joël Lagrange et Marie-Reine Jazé-Charvolin. Linked administratively to the city of
The arch was erected at the end of the 1st century by Lucius Pompeius Campanus, a
ancient Roman
In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 BC ...
funerary monument located in the commune
A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to:
Administrative-territorial entities
* Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township
** Communes of ...
of Aix-les-Bains
Aix-les-Bains (, ; frp, Èx-los-Bens; la, Aquae Gratianae), locally simply Aix, is a commune in the southeastern French department of Savoie.
, Savoie
Savoie (; Arpitan: ''Savouè'' or ''Savouè-d'Avâl''; English: ''Savoy'' ) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, Southeastern France. Located in the French Alps, its prefecture is Chambéry. In 2019, Savoie had a population of ...
, Rhône-Alpes
Rhône-Alpes () was an administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it is part of the new region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. It is located on the eastern border of the country, towards the south. The region was named after the river Rhône an ...
, France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. Erected in the 1st century AD, it has been classified as a French ''monument historique
''Monument historique'' () is a designation given to some national heritage sites in France. It may also refer to the state procedure in France by which National Heritage protection is extended to a building, a specific part of a building, a coll ...
'' since 7 August 1890.
History
The original Roman settlers atAix-les-Bains
Aix-les-Bains (, ; frp, Èx-los-Bens; la, Aquae Gratianae), locally simply Aix, is a commune in the southeastern French department of Savoie.
(Roman: Aquae) seem to have arrived in the 1st century, on account of the presence of hot springs (see Thermae
In ancient Rome, (from Greek , "hot") and (from Greek ) were facilities for bathing. usually refers to the large Roman Empire, imperial public bath, bath complexes, while were smaller-scale facilities, public or private, that existed i ...
).General Inventory of the Heritage of Aixes: Arch of Campanus, by Joël Lagrange et Marie-Reine Jazé-Charvolin. Linked administratively to the city of
Vienne
Vienne (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Viéne'') is a landlocked department in the French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It takes its name from the river Vienne. It had a population of 438,435 in 2019.thermae
In ancient Rome, (from Greek , "hot") and (from Greek ) were facilities for bathing. usually refers to the large Roman Empire, imperial public bath, bath complexes, while were smaller-scale facilities, public or private, that existed i ...
in the very centre of the city, beside which, on a lower terrace to the west, the funerary Arch of Campanus was built and below a second terrace on which a temple of Diana was constructed in the second century.
The arch was erected at the end of the 1st century by Lucius Pompeius Campanus, a patrician
Patrician may refer to:
* Patrician (ancient Rome), the original aristocratic families of ancient Rome, and a synonym for "aristocratic" in modern English usage
* Patrician (post-Roman Europe), the governing elites of cities in parts of medieval ...
of Gallia Narbonensis
Gallia Narbonensis (Latin for "Gaul of Narbonne", from its chief settlement) was a Roman province located in what is now Languedoc and Provence, in Southern France. It was also known as Provincia Nostra ("Our Province"), because it was the ...
, a rich notable Allobroge from the city of Vienne
Vienne (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Viéne'') is a landlocked department in the French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It takes its name from the river Vienne. It had a population of 438,435 in 2019.), the function of the monument remains uncertain.
It is thought to be a funerary arch, but is however a long way from the Roman cemetery and Roman religious custom would not permit interments within the city.
On the other hand, the arch is placed in such a way as to offer a view in the direction of the thermae, and a walkway passed under it,Charles Despine (1834) et A. Küpper-Böhm, cited a
General Inventory of the Heritage of Aixes: Arch of Campanus
, by Joël Lagrange et Marie-Reine Jazé-Charvolin. so the idea that the arch is a
Site of the Regional office for the Inventory of the Cultural Heritage of the City of Aix-Les-Bains.
{{Authority control Buildings and structures completed in the 1st century 1st-century establishments in the Roman Empire Aix-les-Bains Ancient Roman triumphal arches Gallia Narbonensis
General Inventory of the Heritage of Aixes: Arch of Campanus
, by Joël Lagrange et Marie-Reine Jazé-Charvolin. so the idea that the arch is a
city gate
A city gate is a gate which is, or was, set within a city wall. It is a type of fortified gateway.
Uses
City gates were traditionally built to provide a point of controlled access to and departure from a walled city for people, vehicles, goods ...
is more probable. Further support for this derives from the fact that the thermae, the temple, and the arch are contemporary.
Forgotten, the arch became the entrance to the courthouse in the 16th century and was later integrated into the wall of a stable, gradually buried, and finally rescued in 1821. It remained standing after the destruction in 1867 of a hotel that stood in the middle of the modern Place Maurice Mollard.
Construction
The arch is 9.15 metres high and 7.1 metres wide, but only 75 centimetres deep. Itslimestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
blocks are placed without mortar. Its single vault is a semicircular arch of 6 by 3.5 metres, under which there was a paved walkway.
Above the two pylons is an entablature
An entablature (; nativization of Italian , from "in" and "table") is the superstructure of moldings and bands which lies horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and ...
with an architrave
In classical architecture, an architrave (; from it, architrave "chief beam", also called an epistyle; from Greek ἐπίστυλον ''epistylon'' "door frame") is the lintel or beam that rests on the capitals of columns.
The term can ...
and a frieze of eight niches which probably contained busts. On the west facade, the names of Lucius Pompeius Campanus' ancestors are engraved.
See also
*List of Roman triumphal arches
This is a list of Roman triumphal arches. Triumphal arches were constructed across the Roman Empire and are an archetypal example of Roman architecture. Most surviving Roman arches date from the Imperial period (1st century BC onwards). They were ...
* Ancient Roman architecture
Ancient Roman architecture adopted the external language of classical Greek architecture for the purposes of the ancient Romans, but was different from Greek buildings, becoming a new architectural style. The two styles are often considered one ...
References
External links
Site of the Regional office for the Inventory of the Cultural Heritage of the City of Aix-Les-Bains.
{{Authority control Buildings and structures completed in the 1st century 1st-century establishments in the Roman Empire Aix-les-Bains Ancient Roman triumphal arches Gallia Narbonensis