Brief reminder of Part 1 (without mistake ) :
An amphitheatre remains in Paris from the Roman Empire of the 1st and 2nd centuries, but it has been through many vicissitudes. It was destroyed in 285, rebuilt in 577 and then forgotten until 1860. It was rediscovered during the Haussmann building works in 1860, but not rehabilitated by Napoleon III.
It wasn ' t until 1880 that they were once again uncover by the Omnibus General Company to create a line at this location. Many laeding figures of the day, including Victor Hugo, plead for the monument to be saved and restored. Finally, the governement bought the remains and they were classified as a Historic Monument in 1884. However, it wasn ' t until 1917 that the arenas were fuly restored.
Today, all that remains are the front rowns, the round stage and the foundations of the surrounding walls and niches that allowed sound to spreed throughout the entire arena.
It has now become a public venue, hosting festivals and theatre companies on its large central stage, or was used as a basketball court where competitions were hold. The last amateur matches were mentioned in 1959.
To this day, it is mainly petanque and football that are played there. They are sometimes used for neighborhood festivals.
This oldest Parisian monument, steeped in history, remains a favorite spot for walkers, who, on a sunny day, make a sandwich stop while enjoying its bucolic green space. |
