Located in the Rhone alluvial plain and crossed by two rivers, the Meyne in the town centre and the Aigues in the north, the town of Orange always developped around the Saint-Eutrope hill. Due to its location near the Rhone and on the Agrippa road, since the Antiquity Orange has remained an important transit area.
Inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, 2 Roman monuments dating back to 1st century AD reflect today the town of Orange’s cultural heritage : the Antique theatre and the Triumphal Arch.
- The Antique Theatre : built at the begining of the Christian era, it is renowned for its well-preserved stage wall. At that time, this used to be the town’s major lively area. Acoustics and structure enabled 7000 spectators to attend shows. Nowadays, the theatre receives every year tens of thousands of spectators on the occasion of summer events, among which the famous Chorégies.
- The Triumphal Arch : it is dedicated to the veterans’ glory of the 2nd gallic legion who founded the Roman colony of Orange first, and then extended to Tibère. Thus, this is an extraordinary monument of both Roman and Provençal art. Symbol of distinction, it used to define the boundaries between the deads’ world and the antique city.
Antique theatre Cultural heritage Orange Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur triumphal arch
