The Sanctuaire de la Fontaine (English: Sanctuary of the Fountain) is an ancient site in the city of
Nîmes
Nîmes ( , ; oc, Nimes ; Latin: ''Nemausus'') is the prefecture of the Gard department in the Occitanie region of Southern France. Located between the Mediterranean Sea and Cévennes, the commune of Nîmes has an estimated population of 148,5 ...
, France. A probable place of worship of the first human settlement around the source, this site is located today in the heart of the Jardins de la Fontaine.
Description
At the site of the original spring on which the city was founded, the fountain had a central role, since as a site of worship for the god Nemausus. Shortly before the beginning of our era, an altar was set dedicated to the worship of
Augustus. As time went by, a veritable sanctuary dedicated to the
imperial cult was set up around the fountain.
In this "Augusteum" in addition to this emperor's altar arranged in the center of a
nymphaeum
A ''nymphaeum'' or ''nymphaion'' ( grc, νυμφαῖον), in ancient Greece and Rome, was a monument consecrated to the nymphs, especially those of springs.
These monuments were originally natural grottoes, which tradition assigned as habit ...
, a
theater, and a curious vaulted building called the “
Temple of Diana”. It is not known whether this really is a
temple, as there are indications that it is a
library. Many hypotheses have been made about this building, but none have been proven true.
This type of sanctuary is quite rare, especially since contrary to what one might imagine, it was not ordered by Augustus, but was probably built by the local populations in a show of gratitude for the favors granted to the city. The fact of installing this temple in an already religiously important place is of strong symbolic value.
The functioning of the imperial cult is initially different from a true religious cult, since emperors are not deified until their death, and not in all cases. In a way, the emperor is placed between gods and men. But above all, the goals of establishing imperial worship are more political than religious. This cult is part of the process of romanization of a
colony like Nîmes. Although it is mandatory, it is still an opportunity for the colonies to show their attachment to
Rome.
This system largely contributed to a natural Romanization of the city, of which the imperial cult was the essential cog. Its obligation, along with all the other cities conquered by Rome simultaneously made it possible to unify the
Empire by imbuing the populations with a common mentality. Despite everything, the imperial cult still takes different forms according to the times and regions. Thus in
Narbonne it is much stronger than elsewhere, since the region was conquered very early on. It also took different forms depending on the emperor in power. We know, for example, that Augustus had a very close relationship with Nîmes where he was much loved.
For each province, the imperial cult had an official altar planted in the capital on which a high-ranking
priest performed a
sacrifice
Sacrifice is the offering of material possessions or the lives of animals or humans to a deity as an act of propitiation or worship. Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Greeks, and possibly exi ...
. Still, this did not prevent colonies like Nîmes from paying homage to the Emperor on their own, as the Augusteum attests. The ceremonies that were organized there were led by a municipal
flamine and servers who were kinds of priests whose role is not fully understood. We only know that these were very prestigious roles.
.
References
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See also
*
Temple of Diana
Buildings and structures in Nîmes
Roman temples of the Imperial cult